


Hell's Boiling Point

by ShootToMiss



Category: Hellboy - All Media Types, The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: A gun, AH YES, F/F, Hellboy is not a happy camper, also there will be nazi killing, the most powerful spell, they jump in parabolas, whitches!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2021-01-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:27:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 54,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25705099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShootToMiss/pseuds/ShootToMiss
Summary: [Formerly "Hell on the Boiling Isles] "So get this... there's this girl. Normal girl, nothing strange about her. She gets sent to this summer camp... but the camp calls her mother and tells her she never made it. And that's when things turn sideways." When the BPRD investigates the disappearance of Luz Noceda, Hellboy ends up taking a vacation to the Boiling Isles...
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 191
Kudos: 410





	1. Runaway Girl on the Luz

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter story I’ve decide to work on. I’ve been hitting writer’s block with my other two stories- Exiles and The Games Rich People Play (go check em out, I’d love to hear feedback on them), and I feel like I need to stir my brain up to keep going. This probably won’t be too many chapters, but I hope it’ll be a decent crossover.
> 
> Don’t worry, I’m not gonna keep starting story after story without finishing. I’ve looked around and the general consensus is that you can have three stories going before you start stretching yourself too thin. I’m close to done with the other stories’ chapters anyway.
> 
> Edit: I added a little something something to the end of both chapters, some embedded videos- it's an experiment. Let me know how y'all feel about it. If you like it, I'll keep it in. If it's too jarring, no biggie, I can take em out easy.

A man lifts a cigar to his mouth before lighting it. “So get this…” He puffs out.

“There’s this girl… a normal girl, nothing strange about her. She lives with her mom, goes to school, reads her favorite books, the works. Sure, she’s a bit of a rambunctious kid with a big imagination, but she isn’t packing some hidden powers or anything.” He taps his cigar, the ashes falling off. A shine catches his eye, prompting him to investigate. “But she does know how to get herself into messes. See, she causes a few incidents at school cause of her more… “ambitious” projects. Gets a little too graphic in a play, uses a swarm of spiders for a model Griffon, and brings in snakes for a book report. Course, that Griffon thing is pretty accurate… but probably not what a normal kid should be doing in a normal school.”

He reaches down and picks up the shining object. A marble. “So after the snake thing, ol’ mom decides it’s time to stifle… I mean, reign in her daughter’s imagination. She signs her up for this summer camp that’s all about bookkeeping and filing taxes and… reality. Sounds like hell, which is a lot coming from me.” He flicks the marble up in the air and catches it, staring at it again when it rests in his palm. “So when the summer begins, she sees her kid off, but needs to leave for work before the bus arrives. She trusts her girl and asks her to text once she gets to camp.”

He pockets the marble, then makes his way through the woods. “Sometime later, after work, the mom texts her daughter, to see if she made it okay. The girl confirms. Pretty normal, nothing seemingly wrong… but then about that time, that’s when the actual counselors at the camp call… and where the real trouble begins.”

* * *

Camilia had flopped onto her favorite chair, glad to be through with a rough day. She hadn’t been able to get off until late at night, swamped with patients. Even her lunch break had to be cut short for an emergency…

Which reminded her: she hadn’t gotten the chance to text Luz yet. By now, she should’ve been getting ready for bed, probably after the introduction ceremonies at the camp… if they had those at an “inside the box” camp. _“How’s summer camp?”_ She texted.

Oh Mija… She wondered if she had done the right thing, sending her to this place. She knew she looked disappointed before she had gotten on the bus… it’s not as if she had wanted to resort to this option. After that hijo de puta left the two of them, she only dived deeper into her love of wizarding fantasies to cope. But the incidents had started piling up, and the school wouldn’t tolerate them anymore. They had threatened suspension, or even expulsion. So, Camilia had to put her foot down, for Luz’s sake.

A ring from her phone alerted her. _“I think I’m gonna like it here.”_ Luz’s text wrote. She sighed in relief. Perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad after all. Especially if Luz was already having fun.  
Another ring from her phone, this time for a call. She didn’t know who decided to call this late in the evening, and she didn’t seem to recognize the number. It could have been a robo call. She let it pass, not wanting to deal with something like that.

Once the call passed however, she noticed the same number had called her several times today. She had turned off her phone while working, but it seems someone really wanted to get in touch with her during that time.

She quickly called the number back, curious about the circumstances.

“Hello?” Came a voice from the line.

“Uh, yes. This is Camilia Noceda. You’ve called me several times today. I apologize, I was at work, and had my phone turned off. I only just got off around forty five minutes ago.”

“Ah, Mrs. Noceda! I’m Artie Felds, a counselor at Reality Check. Yes, we’ve been trying to get in touch with you. It’s about your daughter.”

Camilia felt a twinge of worry. “Oh no. Did she cause an accident at camp? I promise it won’t happen again, she can let her imagination get away from her.”

“Excuse me?”

“I know it might’ve caused some chaos, but I hoped she might learn a bit of balance while she was there.”

“Mrs. Noceda, what are you talking about?”

“…Que?”

_“Turns out, that little summer camp about filing taxes and crunching numbers sure liked to keep consistent records. Go figure. So when a camper doesn’t arrive, they’re pretty quick to call the family about it.”_

“Mrs. Noceda, I was calling to see if you wanted a refund for your registration. We assumed there was a family emergency of some kind…”

“Uh, Mr. Felds, was it? What are you talking about?”

A tense pause from the other side of phone. “Um… Mrs. Noceda… your daughter never arrived at camp.”

Camilia’s heart felt as if it had stopped. Her fingers grew cold, clenching the phone as tightly as a snake. She struggled to breath for a moment.

“Mrs. Noceda?! Are you still with me?”

She took a deep breath. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry, I need to go.” She hung up, quickly dialing a new number after.

“9-1-1, what’s your emergency?”

“Please, I… my daughter has gone missing.”

* * *

“Where did you last see your daughter ma’am?” The police officer asked. Camilia stood in front of her home, many cops walking around, inspecting the property.

“I had left her in front of our house so she could wait for the bus.” She drew her hands up to her face. “I thought she would be safe in our neighborhood…”

“Yeah, everyone thinks their neighborhood is the safest place around.” The other police officer said, only making Camilia feel worse.

“In any case,” The first one said, recognizing the insensitivity. “We’ll do everything we can to find her. Is there anything else you can tell us? Any strange things that might have been happening around here recently?”

“I… I texted her. And she answered me back. Right before the summer camp called.” She lifted up her phone and showed the texts.

Before he could look over the message, another officer walked over. “Mendoza, I’ve got a witness from across the street. Says the kid ran off into the forest, but why, she couldn’t say.”

Mendoza nodded, then quickly looked at the texts Camilia provided. “Ms. Noceda, what kind of summer camp were you sending her to?”

“It was Reality Check. It’s a camp meant to teach kids to be more down to earth. My daughter’s imagination was starting to get the better of her. It caused a few incidents at school.”

“Hmm… well, Ms. Noceda, this might not be as bad as it looks.”

* * *

_“The police figured it was a run away scenario. Girl feels out of place, thinks she doesn’t belong, or something else. So, the police figure she couldn’t have made it too far, and send a squad out into a forest. They even get dogs to make it quicker.”_

“Fan out. If there’s any trace of where the girl went, we’ll find it in this forest.” Mendoza said, as his group began combing the area. Each one had a hound on leash. “Get your hounds to sniff out every inch they can. “You’re with me, Officer Stacy.”

The blonde nodded. “You got it, Corporal.”

Mendoza then leaned down to let their dog smell an Azura doll, something the girl played with often, according to her mother. “C’mon, Riley. Let’s get a girl home to her mother.”

The dog sniffed a few times, before barking in one direction, leading the officers onward.

It hadn’t been too long of walk, when Riley reached his destination.

“Well, if that ain’t spooky.” Stacy commented.

Before them stood an abandoned house. It was run down, probably waiting for some kid to come make it a dangerous clubhouse of some kind. Mendoza sighed. “Looks like we’ve found our run away hideaway. C’mon, we’ll coax her out of there.” He heard a whimper and looked to Stacy. She gave him a confused look back, before both of them noticed the culprit: Riley.  
The poor dog was entirely submissive, ears and tail drooping, never taking his eyes away from the house. Mendoza responded by trying to pull him forward- he pulled back instead.

“Riley’s the bravest dog in the squad. The hell could be in there that’s scaring him?” Stacy asked Mendoza.

He didn’t have an answer, instead choosing to pull his gun out to search the house. It didn’t take much time, but his heart was pounding the whole way. Each room he feared he might find a bear or some thing worse… and even more, he feared he might find a poor girl’s body massacred by it.

It both his relieved and concerned him when he finished. “There’s nobody in there. I mean nothing, no animals or people… not a thing.”

“Then why the hell is Riley so scared?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Mendoza heard static from his radio.

“Coporal Mendoza, come in, Corporal. This is Officer Griggs.”

“This is Mendoza. What’s your status?”

“Might be nothing, sir… but did you drop your sniffer dog’s doll?”

Mendoza looked to Stacy, who showed said item was in her pack. “No. Still secure. Why are you asking?”

“Because I just found one… and it looks pretty new.”

Mendoza paused, thinking on this.  
“This is Officer Dare, I’ve been seeing random pieces of junk all over too. Saw some toys myself, but also a pair of glasses, and even shoes. And yeah, some look like they only dropped in the dirt recently.”

“Officer Williams here. I found a lunchbox and a radio. Even a book or two.”

This was starting to worry the Corporal. Quite a few items that kids would use… they could’ve been simply lost by the children from the surrounding neighborhoods. But Mendoza didn’t want to take chances.

* * *

_“The Corporal was starting to think that maybe it wasn’t so simple as a girl running away from home. Things were strange enough when the CSI’s couldn’t find DNA on the house or the toys, but the traced call is where things really turned sideways.”_

Camilia looked at the officers around the room. The one in headphones gave Mendoza a thumbs up, and he in turn nodded at Camilia. She quickly dialed her daughter’s number.

_Ring._

_Ring._

_Ring._

_“Hello?”_

“Sweetie?”

_“Oh, hey mom! What’s up?”_

Camilia wanted so badly to ask if she was alright. But the police had told her to act natural- if someone had taken her daughter, they were likely only letting Luz answer to not arouse suspicion. Even if she still only ran away, if she knew they had realized she’d run, she might stop answering her phone. “I just wanted to check in on you sweetie.”

_“Already? Didn’t you check in the other night?”_

“It’s been some time since we’ve been away from each other like this. I guess I’m still worried.”

_“O…kay?”_

Camilia couldn’t believe how casual she was being about this. Then again, Officer Mendoza did say she might’ve been enticed by her captors and simply didn’t know what danger she was in. “So, how has the camp been so far?”

_“Oh, uh… you know. Taxes and stock exchanges and… bundles more! But, you know, made fun!”_

Camilia could tell she was lying, not just because of what she already knew, but the tone in her voice. “Are you sure? I… I know you weren’t exactly excited when I left you.”

_“Oh… well… It’s just, after being here for a while, I think my opinion’s really turned around. You know, uh, really got to know the place.”_ *BANG* _“Listen, uh… they’re about to start the, um… the next activity!”_

“What? What activity? What was that noise?”

_“Oh nothing, just a couple of the other campers having some fun!”_ *BANG* _“I’ll call you back soon, love ya!”_

“Wait! Mija! I… I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

_“…Huh?”_  
“I’m sorry if… if I ever made you feel like it wasn’t ever okay for you to be yourself. I know it’s been hard after… after your father left. But I only wanted what was best for you. But if you truly aren’t enjoying yourself… you can tell me. Because I love you. No matter what happens, I’ll always love you. And if you want to go home, you can tell me. And we’ll talk about a plan both of us can be happy with. Ok?”

_“Yeah, Mom. I’d like that. Honestly, I really am enjoying it here. But I’d like that. And I love you too.”_ *BANG* *CRASH* _“Oh boy! Sorry mom, I gotta go!” *click*_

“Wait, Luz, don’t-” She heard the tone, and realized she was gone. Tears welled in her eyes. “Oh mija…”

Mendoza placed a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Ms. Noceda. That should’ve been long enough for us to-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” The Officer using the phone tracker jumped back out of his seat. Several sparks started coming out of it, too dangerous to approach. But it soon became worse, the sparks becoming full on lightning, burning into the ground around the tracker. It finally died down, the lightning disappearing.

Officer Stacy broke the silence. “What… the hell… was that?”

Mendoza used a baton to tilt the tracker, investigating the burns. It formed a perfect circle. “I don’t know… but I think we might be in over our heads.”

* * *

_“So, the police realize they’ve got no idea what’s going on. They call in for some kind of backup… and it eventually reaches us. The Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Once that little situation reaches our ears… well, we know exactly what’s going on.”_

“So that’s the deal. Girl’s been kidnapped, but all our leads are mysterious kinds of dead ends, and with the tracker incident…” Mendoza told a woman from the BPRD as they stood in front of the Noceda house.

“You’ve contacted the right division, Cpl. Mendoza. We’ve got the tools and people to find this girl.”

“I hope so, Ms. Corrigan. Ms. Noceda’s been losing her mind over her missing daughter.”

“Just guide us to that house you found and we’ll take it from there.”

“Officer Mendoza?”

The two turned to find said mother walking up to them. “Are… are these the people who can find my Luz?”

“They are, Ms. Noceda, but I really must ask that you head back inside…”

All three were interrupted by a large figure emerging from the forest. “Hey, Kate. Liz and Abe are already getting some bizarre readings-” He didn’t get the chance to finish, cut off by a high pitched scream. “Ah, crap.”

“Oh Dios, es el Diablo!”

“Yeah. I get that a lot. It’s the face, really. One of those faces everybody recognizes.”

Camilia and Mendoza looked on in stunned silence. Only for them to be even more surprised when Morrigan walked up to him. “You were saying, Hellboy?”

“Oh. Yeah… The others found readings similar to the other hideaways we’ve been to, scattered across the planet. But they’re more potent. They said it’s looking like it might lead to another dimension. Not one we’ve been to before. Need more time to recreate it.”

“Right. Anything they need?”

“Grocery list is right here.” Hellboy handed Kate a paper. He glanced over to the two fearful people. “Maybe I should head back over there.” He started to head back into the forest.

Camilia didn’t necessarily understand what they talked about… but it seemed this BPRD was her closest shot at getting Luz home. “W…wait!” Hellboy turned as Ms. Noceda ran up to him. “Please… I don’t know what’s going on anymore… but, if you’re really el Diablo, I…” Tears welled in her eyes, before cascading down. “Please, I’ll do anything to have my daughter back. My parents disowned me for getting pregnant out of wedlock, my cabron of a husband left us when she was young, I-I just… she’s all I have left. I’ll give my soul, even-”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Hellboy said gently. “Come on, now. I can’t stand to see a pretty girl cry.” He sighed. “Listen… I’m not the guy from downstairs. All we’re here to do is get your girl home safe and sound. No catch, no strings… nothing. We’re only here for your sake.” He gave her a sincere smile. “We’ll find her. Okay?”

The tears only seemed to fall harder. Her breathing hitched. “Thank you… thank you so much.” Mendoza finally had the courage to step forward and began guiding Camilia back to the house.

Kate looked at Hellboy solemnly. “There’s a good chance that whatever took her has already… well…”

“Yeah… I know. But maybe I can be the thing she blames for losing her, instead of herself.”

* * *

Hellboy stood before the abandoned house, now crawling with BPRD agents. Camilia Noceda’s teary face burned in his mind. “So, that’s the story. Some girl’s been kidnapped by an unknown force and we’re the only ones who have a chance to save her. If you’re wondering how I got the parts I wasn’t there for, well… I have my ways. In any case, we’ve been scrambling for several days now to crack the code to whatever dimensional door opened up in this house. It’s slow… but we’re getting there. And if we can’t make it for the girl…” He glanced down at his gun, the Good Samaritan. “I’ll be sure to give ‘em Ms. Noceda’s regards.” He walked up, entering the house himself. Abe was busy setting up new equipment to test the possible power output they would need. Liz was researching runes and glyphs, looking for the right combination. “Hey, Abe. Liz. Found another trinket.” He threw the marble he had collected onto a pile of the various other objects that had been found.

“Heard you talking out there. Preparing this case as another story for the new recruits?” The fish man asked.

Liz spoke up without looking up from her books. “Sure hope it ends as a punchline and not a horror story.”

“Think I’ll kick the ass of whoever did this regardless. Cause either way, I’m not laughing.” He took the Azura doll from his other pocket and looked over it. “God knows what that girl must be going through.”

* * *

“No, no, nonononononononono…” She struggled, trying her best to keep the red liquid from pouring out onto the floor. But it seemed pointless as dripped through her hands. Nothing could help her now…

The door to the bathroom flung open, revealing a somewhat confused Eda. “Luz, have you seen my bottle of overflowing red slime?” Eda’s eyes widened as she saw Luz covered in a mass of red good, trying desperately to get the blobs on the floor back into the bottle.

“I… might have been playing out an acting role I had. I was a dead corpse! …It got out of hand.”

* * *

[time 0:34]

_A statue with three heads is zoomed in on; its eyes light up when fully closed in._

**Based on characters from Dark Horse Comics and Disney**

_A pistol marked "The Good Samaritan" floats by..._

**Ron Perlman as Hellboy**

_Then paper with the light glyph..._

**Sarah Nicole Robles as Luz Noceda**

_The owl staff..._

**Wendie Malick as Eda Clawthorne**

_And a stuffed animal..._

**....and Alex Hirsch as King and Hooty**

**ShootToMiss Presents-**

**HELL'S BOILING POINT**

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, won’t Hellboy get a kick out of what the situation actually is. Trust me, later in life we’re all just gonna look back on this point and laugh…
> 
> And yeah, it’s probably going to deviate from the Owl House’s canon.


	2. Get Outta Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hellboy gets very acquainted with the wildlife, who are all too happy to tell him all the hot new vacation spots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m shocked at how popular this story got after only one chapter. I’m honestly really flattered. I suppose it’s because my other two main stories are these massive crossovers that might be a little overwhelming in terms of characters and franchises. 
> 
> But hey, this story made it to the The Owl House fanfic recs page on TV Tropes! I’m honestly flattered. It means a lot to me that someone thought my story was worth being advertised like that. Hope I can keep living up to that expectation. 
> 
> A quick note: I reference the hellboy animated movie Sword of storms… which never actually happened in the comics continuity. I felt it didn’t upheaval too much in the grand scheme of things, so I grafted it in to my crossover’s canon. Blood and Iron, however, is not canon to this timeline. That still belong to Wake the Devil.
> 
> Edit: Since I did this to both chapters on the same day, I'll mention again- I'm experimenting with some videos at the end of these first two chapters. If y'all like it, I'll keep going with it. But if too many find it jarring, I'll take em out.

The paper in my hand looks awfully convincing. In a world where the camp didn’t call Ms. Noceda, this might’ve been a clean coverup. It’s just as she said… the handwriting looks exactly the same as the kid’s. So either Luz herself is sending these letters, or her captors are. It’s like this case keeps devolving into some kind of sick joke. 

“You just got it this morning?”

“Yes, it was with my other mail.” Camilia’s shaking. I don’t blame her. It almost seems like this piece of paper is taunting whoever reads it. Like it thinks it can spit in your face cause there’s nothing you can do about it. 

“And your texts?”

“Luz has started to only respond with emojis.” That’s bad. Sure as hell sounds like a grownup trying to be a kid. The letter, too. It’s subtler, but there. One sentence has her wanting to do non-specific “mother/daughter” activities. Whatever the hell that means… “I did get in touch with her last night, but she answered quickly and kept the call short. I heard noises in the background again.”

“That’s good. It means she’s still alive, wherever she is.” That might be a lie, but even I’m not sure. Truth is, I’ve had my fair share of encounters with creeps that can mimic voices. Maybe her kidnappers are trying to taunt Camilia, make her think her daughter is alright before coming out with the horrid surprise. But suggesting that out loud sure as hell isn’t going to be light on Camilia’s conscience. So I keep it to myself.

“And… the cabin?”

“The BPRD is hard at work finding any traces of Luz or the kidnappers. We think we got something to work off of.” That was hopefully true. Our guys and gals found the door to the cabin itself had the most residual magic left behind. Makes sense, using a door as a door. A real novel idea. We’re just having a hard time pinning it down, is all. Bad news for me is, they’re bringing in a psychic to try and get a clearer image. And man, do I hate psychics. “I can’t give you a specific amount of time, but we’re on a fast track to cracking it.”

She sits down in a chair, obviously mentally and emotionally exhausted. The worst part about all this is that she can’t take off any days from work. She’s a single mom trying to provide for her (now missing) kid and her job is a nurse in a hospital. You tell me how stressed she probably is. “Every single night this goes on I feel like I’m losing my mind. I can’t… I can’t help feeling this is my fault. I should have never tried to send her to that camp. I pushed her away, right into the arms of some stranger who wants to do God knows what with her.”

I’m not having any of that. “Don’t go there. None of this is your fault. You were doing what any mother would, trying to get your kid to make friends and get her to step outside her comfort zone. Whether or not you approached from the right angle is something you can talk with your daughter about… but it’s got nothing to do with her being kidnapped. It’s the bad guy’s fault. They’re the ones who thought taking advantage of mother and daughter was a good idea, the creeps who thought that anything good comes from kidnapping kids. Blaming yourself is what they want. They like it when the victims think they’re the ones at fault because it’s one of the sick pleasures they get out of life.”

“I know, I know, but… I can’t help but feel I could’ve done something. I thought she would be safe on our street. A cop reminded me that… shouldn’t be assumed.” I think I know which cop she’s talking about. Officer Brady, a real mouthy guy from what Kate says. Kept delivering smart comments while she worked with them. Or at least, comments he thought were smart.

He’s an idiot, is what I’m saying. What kind of asshole gives a mother grief while she’s worrying about her missing child? “Don’t worry about him. Some people don’t know when to stop talking.” I take a look at the letter again. I’m not too keen on leaving it with her, if only because it might cause her more stress just by looking at it.

“Might be best if I take this letter with me. I’m gonna have some agents come down to check on your house, see if there’s anything we can trace from your mailbox. Don’t worry, they’re pros. They know how to do their job without being invasive about it.”

“Thank you, Mr. Hellboy.” 

I give her a friendly smile. “Come on, ma’am. I keep telling ya, it’s just Hellboy. Never been a fan of being called mister.”

She gives a small smile back. “Of course.” I nod back at her before going out the door. 

Since we first spoke a week ago, our group’s been keeping in touch with Camilia. Since she’d only just been introduced to the idea that magic and monsters are real, we’ve been trying to take it slow, so she doesn’t panic too much. She’s been taking it rather well, all things considered. Sometimes I feel like she might actually already know it’s real- but that’s just conspiracy at this point. It’s more likely that she realizes that either way, someone took her daughter. Doesn’t make a difference whether they’re a wizard or not in that regard. And I did finally manage to completely convince her I wasn’t Satan, so there’s that.

Course I realize I tend to be the one who volunteers to go update her on our progress. What can I say? I got a soft spot for kids. You would too if you were a kid summoned to earth by nazis to bring the apocalypse. Seeing a mother so afraid for her girl tugs at my heartstrings. Kinda reminds me a lot of Professor Broom.

The cabin’s as lively as ever. Agents in yellow hazmat suits running around, quadruple checking for anything they missed. Kate’s muttering to herself about any local legends that might be involved. Abe and Liz are reading through all the books on magic we have.

“Kate, got something for ya.” I’m almost glad when I give the letter to her. I swear, holding that thing alone was starting to get on my nerves. “Ms. Noceda just got it this morning. Don’t know if it was the girl or her “lovely hosts”.” I mean, I have my reasons to believe it’s not the kid. What teenager sends letters nowadays?

“This could help us pinpoint the magic energies of the house.” She signals an agent over to get some readings done. “Honestly, if we had a more vivid analysis of this specific magic, we’d have an easier time working off of it. I feel like I’ve been trying to work a connect the dots page, except it’s missing most of the dots.”

“No kidding. My analogy would’ve been a crossword with no hints, personally.” Once Abe and Liz wander over I give ‘em my other errand. “This letter magically appeared in Ms. Noceda’s mailbox. Y’all mind running over there to do some scans?”

Liz tosses her book aside. “Might be a good break from a dingy old cabin. I haven’t had any luck here so far.”

“Indeed. Our usual sources of information don’t have anything to help us here.” Abe notes.

“And none of the town’s folklore really matches this case.” Kate piped up from behind.

I can already feel the annoyance. “Guess that means only one option. Ugh...”

“C’mon, Hellboy. We’ve exhausted our other resources. A psychic can see the picture much more clearly than we can, and it’ll be much faster than using what we have on hand.” Kate nudges me with her elbow. “Besides, you and this psychic have already met.”

“That might make it worse.” Unfortunately, she’s right. As much as I don’t like them, a psychic’s our best bet at finding the girl right now. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. “Fine. But I won’t stick around for the hammy prose if I don’t have to.”

“Fair enough.” Kate acknowledges.

“In the meantime, I guess we better head down to Ms. Noceda’s. We don’t want the magic energies to deteriorate before we can get a good look at them.” Liz begins trudging towards the Noceda household.

Abe wasn’t far behind. “Indeed. I doubt we would’ve been so slow in our investigations if we’d arrived sooner. But that’s how things play out sometimes...” 

“I told Ms. Noceda you wouldn’t be invasive. Make sure she’s comfortable before you go poking around everywhere.” 

“You got it.”

“Of course. Good luck with your eternal hatred of psychics, Hellboy.” Abe shouts out. He leaves before I can say something back.

Kate must hear the grumbling come out of my mouth. “He makes a good point, you know. Sometimes it’s almost as if you think they’re out to get you.”

“Look, I get they can get visions on crap like this. But if I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a million times… They usually only tell you what you already know. And what help they bring is always too little, too damn late. I don’t want him to tell me some confusing foreshadowing riddle that I’ll only get once I’m holding the girl’s dead body in my arms.”

“Funny you should say that exact ‘million-time’ statement...” I raise an eyebrow at that. 

“Ma’am!” I don’t get a chance to ask before one of the grunts comes rushing in. “The escort has just arrived with Russell Thorn.” 

Russell Thorn? Ah, damn. I do know this guy. He helped us out with the incident in Japan. Yeah… yeah, I remember, the one with the Japanese demons and the magical katana. We got breakfast afterward… and aspirin. Everybody was feeling sore after that little event. We’ve … tolerated each other since then.  
Maybe he’ll learn from last time and know how much I hate it when the brain boys tell me what I already know.

* * *

“Yes… yes. I see a doorway was here… yes, an opening between realms was torn for the longest time, only to suddenly vanish. I see a girl cast into that other world…”

I know Kate’s looking at me. She can tell when I start getting pissed. “Why don’t you… step out for a smoke, Hellboy?”

“Yeah. Think I’ll do that. Maybe look for more trinkets while I’m out…”

* * *

I don’t hate all psychics. But man, do a lot of ‘em not live up to Lady Cynthia. 

Whatever. At least looking for toys and other items around the forest isn’t so frustrating. The items might not have fingerprints on them, but it looks like even they have some residual magic on them. Which might as well be fingerprints for us. 

A glint catches my eye. Looks like another marble, same pattern as the one I found before. Whoever took ‘em must’ve accidentally ripped the bag they were in. Gotta say, monsters kidnaps humans a lot, but that usually makes sense. I can’t seem to wrap my head around why they would take all this crap. 

But it’s evidence, so I can’t say I don’t appreciate them leaving breadcrumbs. As I reach for it, I suddenly find myself grasping at nothing. I look around, seeing if I somehow pushed it away…

Only to find myself with a tiny new friend. An owl… looks like a pygmy owl specifically. He’s got the marble in his mouth and is giving me this odd look. “Hey. I know that looks interesting and all, but I’m gonna need that back. Now just hold still a moment and-” The thing runs. Cause of course it does. “Damn…”

What follows probably isn’t the most embarrassing I’ve done, but it’s up there… a big demon guy chasing a tiny owl for a marble. Must be the funniest damn sight in the world from the outside.  
The bird bobs and weaves, turning sharper corners than I thought it could. Eventually, it starts flying, but I manage to keep up with it. It lands in a clearing… one that I know is close to the cabin, so I better wrap this up before someone sees me. Looks like it hasn’t realized I was able to follow it; its attention is on some bag on the ground. Looks like it found more goodies. I use the opportunity to sneak up on it, do my best to not rustle the grass… then jump on it, covering the bird with my stone hand. 

It wriggles, but I’ve got it now. It doesn’t take me long to pry the marble from its mouth. “Sorry, little guy. But like I said, I need this thing.” I pocket the marble so he can’t get to it. Satisfied with what I have, I open my palm so he can move freely.

“Hoo!” He says to me. Looks like he’s not too happy. 

“Hey, I’m sure you would’ve gotten a kick outta this thing. But you might wanna stick to mice for now.” I give him a little pet- he doesn’t try to bite me for doing so. But instead of soft feathers, I feel… wood?

Before I can register, he jumps from my hand and grabs the bag he was looking at. I manage to glance what’s inside: a slinky, a silly straw, a witch doll-

Wait. Those were all things we found in the woods. Things we left in… “The cabin!”

The owl seems to not like the situation anymore and shoots up into the air with the bag. I reach for him but miss both the bird and its cargo just a tad too late. “Get back here, you wooden antique!”

It doesn’t take us long to get to the cabin. It’s open, not like how I left it. “Kate! Get that damn bird! Before he gets in the house!” Unfortunately, none of them can register what I just said. The bird makes it inside and shuts the door. Even jumping the porch, I don’t make it. Before I can touch the doorknob, a flash of light comes from within the house. When I open the door, everything -our evidence, the bag, the bird- all of it is gone. “DAMN IT!”

Kate ran up to the house behind me. She probably didn’t even see it. “What the hell is happening? What was that?”

“A tiny trash thief, that’s what. You see who opened this door?”

“I thought… I thought it was just one of the agents.”

“Nah. A little wooden owl. Took all of our items and flew off into another world.”

“Damn. They must’ve sent the owl to cover their tracks and keep us off the trail. And considering the letter… they’re trying to stall us as long as they can.”

Then that’s it. If they want to stall us then that means they’re planning to do something with the girl, and they don’t want us interrupting. Trying to track them down with the letter or what little trinkets are left in the forest won’t be fast enough. “Hey! Brain boy!” I head down the porch to my “friend” Russell. “We’re running out of options here. We’ve got a gateway that only freshly closed, and you’re the only one who might have a chance to see how we can open it back up.”

“Look, it’s not that I don’t want to. But I can only see what they show me.”

“If it worked in the Japan incident, it’ll work here. Just try.” Kate adds in. Russell gives a sigh of resignation and walks up to the door. He stays silent for a few moments.

“…I’m sorry. It’s just the same as I told you before, Kate. I see a black mass that consumes all in fear… a curse that comes from incredibly close… and I see a girl in the snake’s- no, the owl’s nest. There’s nothing mor- Hold on. Yes… yes! I have something!” He reached his arm out to us. “Please, hand me something to draw with!” Kate’s quick to throw a pen to him. He begins drawing on the door itself. “This image is burned into the place where the doorway opened. It’s fading quickly, but I think I can… here.”

He finishes up his little art class, shows us his work. It’s a circle, and inside the image is… well… it’s hard to describe. To me at least, it looks like a spiral, with hands holding it open all around its circumference. In the middle is the image of an eye… a demon’s eye. While I can’t describe its appearance any better, both Kate and I know exactly what it is. “It’s a glyph.”

“And it might just be the lead we needed.” She pulls out her phone and takes a picture, then starts dialing a number. “I’m going to call Liz and Abe, then the Bureau. If this image or anything like it is anywhere in our archives, we’ll find it. Russell, I need you with me in case you have any newer visions.”

I see ‘em walk off towards the other agents. Kate starts giving them new directions. I decide to stick around, looking at the image on the door. Part of me’s relieved, we’ve got another lead and it’ll hopefully get as further than before. Just hope we’re not too late.

That image though… there’s something about the eye. Something I can’t quite place… it looks familiar to me. Guess that’ll be a mystery I’m gonna have to solve as we go along. Since we just avoided a near miss, I decide to relive the rest of my stress with a smoke. Poor, clumsy me accidentally drops my lighter however, and it falls under the doorway. Today’s been filled with major and minor inconveniences alike. 

What probably was a bad idea on my part was pushing on the glyph part to open the door. 

The thing lights up like a New York night, sparking and glowing. The light overtakes my sight, blinding and covering me before I can make a run for it. I can feel the magic coming from the glyph… the kind that can tear open dimensions. I’ve got just enough time to realize what’s probably about to happen to me.

“Oh crap…”

* * *

The light finally stops, and I can see again. What I see isn’t really a happy sight. 

It takes me a split second to realize that I’m hundreds of feet in the air. Take me about another to make an appropriate response.

“DAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHH!”

I’ve survived falls like this before. But it’s not fun to hit the ground at terminal velocity, I can tell you. It’s pretty breezy, kinda feels nice for the most part. Then you slam into the ground hard, and it feels like every hangover you’ve ever had combining into one monstrous pain. 

And yeah, my expectations were met pretty accurately. I’m thinking on this while I’m sitting in my own personal crater, and I sure as hell don’t feel like I’m in a bed of flowers.  
When I finally brush off the pain and dig myself out of the dirt, I take the time to get to know my new surroundings.

It’s pretty hard to miss the giant skeleton in the ocean. “Hell of a landmark…”

And that was just the beginning. Looking inland, I see what looks like a painting by Hieronymous Bosch. Demons and monsters with absurd and terrifying appearances, acting like folks you would find in any other human town. 

In other words, I’m exactly where I need to be. 

“Well, Hellboy. You’ve found yourself a new vacation spot… how about you take in the sights, talk to the locals… and make some demons wish they hadn’t taken a trip out of town.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, we’re not quite at Luz and Eda yet. Next chapter, I promise. 
> 
> In the meantime, if y’all are open to it, I’d love to hear comments and reviews on my other main stories:
> 
> Exiles: Across the multiverse- In which several characters are taken from their worlds to fix timelines across cartoon, movie and comic worlds, and more. 
> 
> The Games rich People Play- In which Pacifica Northwest is brought by her father to a rich resort for Spring break and meets several other rich characters there.
> 
> See you next chapter… and watch the right hook.


	3. On the Hunt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Foreign Boy fights crazy Owl Lady. Hijinks ensue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, this story’s really making it’s way around. Glad you’re all enjoying it.
> 
> First note- You might notice this is a biggun compared to the last two chapters. I’m not sure what happened, I felt a lot more spurs to write than usual. Before I knew it, the chapter got really damn long. I wasn’t sure if I should split it up into parts. If y’all find this larger chapter too jarring, I can turn this one chapter into several. In any case, don’t expect them to get big like this again for a while.
> 
> Secondly- Yep. Saw that finale. It’s… definitely thrown me for a loop. I can say the Owl House story might be more disrupted than I thought. I also don’t know what words mean- looking at what I’ve planned, I would definitely say that things aren’t going to follow Owl House canon smoothly is far too much of an understatement. Be prepared, is what I say.
> 
> Finally- A small fact about comics Hellboy… he’s not a government secret like in the movies. More on that next chapter. Just thought I’d mention that.
> 
> Also, my AO3 viewers- since I added the embedded videos well after I posted the chapter last time, just so you know- I'm experimenting with embedded videos at the ends of the last two chapters, and as you can see, at the beginning and end of this one. Let me know if you like it or if it's too distracting, and I'll edit the stories accordingly.

“There you go, kid! It’s a human torture device, a show of disdain towards children. They make them play these silly, boring carnival games- like I’m talking so boring they don’t even have one pair of teeth chomping at you- and reward them for their suffering by offering them this giant impossible to wield pen! Show this off to your friends and they’ll be impressed by the potential sadism you possess.”

“Whoa….”

“It’s all yours, for twenty snails.”

The little sucker throws the money onto my table, eyes filled with glee. “I’ve surely made a non-impulsive and satisfying purchase with three weeks allowance!” He shouts. I almost feel sorry for tricking the poor kid… nah. Just kidding. Not even a little sorry. 

I gotta say, ever since Luz became my apprentice, business has been great! The real reasons why humans use these pieces of junk are way more outlandish than anything I could come up with. Well, most of the time anyway. Sometimes I do need to put a little spin on them. Like that giant pen- humans really don’t care when they get those things. They just put them in their rooms, forget about ‘em for weeks and then throw them away. But the tyke I just sold it to didn’t know that. And what he and all my other customers don’t know… puts a lot more snails in my pocket.

Still, I can’t act like that’s the only reason I keep Luz around. She’s kinda growing on me. The kid’s impulsive and has tunnel-vision at times, but she’s got a fire in her and can be real clever when it counts. She reminds me of… well, me. Course the differences are, she has a harder time cheating and lying because it’s “bad”, and I actually had a bile gland to use magic. Even still… the fact that she managed to pull off the light spell is nothing small. I mean, it is for a citizen of the Boiling Isles. Even a child could learn a light spell. But a human? It shouldn’t have even been possible. The kid’s got more potential than I would’ve ever guessed. She might end up getting her staff after all…

Speaking of staffs, where the heck is Owlbert? I’m running low on stock. And he usually doesn’t take this long. If he got distracted trying to flirt with one of those human’s fake bird statues again… for Titan’s sake, I keep telling him they won’t come to life.

Luckily, thinking on him seems to have invoked his summoning. He crashes into my table, items flying everywhere. “Nice entrance.” A wave of my fingers is all it takes to get everything back in place. “You know, for a staff that can fly faster than the speed of sound, you sure seem to be late a lot.” 

“Hoot!” He takes offense to that, but he’s not the one running a business. “Hoot.”

“What do you mean you almost picked up another hitchhiker? We picked that weird shack specifically because humans don’t like going into creepy places!”

“Hoo!”

“Not a human? What are you saying?”

“Hoot.”

“Looked like a demon?”

“Hoot.”

“With a stone hand?”

“Hoot!”

“With its horns sawed off?!” What demon in their right mind would do that? No demon worth their hellfire would dare break off its horns. Maybe I need to be the one doing product runs from now on. Owlbert’s clearly starting to lose it. “Did they make it through the door?” My palisman shakes its head. “Then who cares? It was probably one of those… cast-plyers Luz told us about. Just a human pretending to be a monster or demon. Regardless, they didn’t make it through the portal, so we’ve got nothing to worry about.”

“Hoot?”

“We’ll worry about finding a new entryway later. Right now I’d like to see what wonderful garbage you’ve brought me…” Still, Owlbert’s right to be concerned. Luz was one thing, but we can’t start attracting humans in here all willy nilly. But man, was the one he described a real weirdo… by both human and monster standards. Glad I’ll never have to meet that mess.

* * *

Gotta say, out of all the hiding places for monsters I’ve been to, this one’s definitely the most grandiose. There’s giant mouths and arms in various places, and people are walking by them like it’s no big deal. The more normal parts of town give off a Transylvanian vibe. Medieval fantasy, at the very least. As for the people, there’s no consistency… in shape or form. Some look like your typical demons and imps and other humanoids, but others go way off the rails. A big centipede with a human face, a centaur whose eyes are on his chest… the hell? I think I just saw a kid whose head was only an eye. Must pay a fortune in eye drops…

Nevermind. The main point is that with all these… “unique” individuals walking around, I don’t stand out like a sore thumb. For once. Not that I get treated differently back home, but people do tend to see me coming a mile away. A big red guy with a rock hand isn’t exactly Waldo when he’s in a crowd. But here I can go about my business without the bad guys going back to their bosses for backup. Makes doing my work a lot easier. Well… sort of. The person I’m looking for might actually raise a few eyebrows. I haven’t seen a single human here. That by itself is pretty normal. While there’s plenty of supernatural attacks on people out there, the magical creatures that don’t need to drink blood or steal souls tend to want to stay away from humans in general. Inviting them to their secret towns is out of the question.

Maybe that was obvious, but there are times when humans do manage to fit themselves into magic communities. I was kinda hoping there would be some here. Might’ve meant Luz wasn’t in as much trouble as we thought. 

I’m no detective, but I can still do a little investigating when I need to. I catch the name of this place as I walk through the streets, from passing conversations to various signs. Bonesborough. As far as I know, not a capital city or anything, but it is well known. Located in what’s called “The Boiling Isles”. Fun names. This place’s founders sure had a sense of humor. Furthermore, this place is ruled over by an Emperor. Though nobody seems to talk much about him on an average day. Guess I’ll have to do some reading later… 

Beyond that, I don’t get much in the way of useful information. I walk around town for some time, wandering aimlessly without a good place to start. I suppose I could start in some kind of bar or tavern. Find out what’s the word around town about humans. The only issue I might run into is descriptions… a common thing is that monsters and demons don’t bother to differentiate between humans.  
Luckily, I have a workaround. I pull a picture out of my pocket- one that has a young girl with a smug look on her face. Camilia gave us a bunch of pictures like this so we could identify Luz by appearance. She’ll stick out like a sore thumb now, but it does make it easier to ask around.

I get the attention of a bystander looking into a window of crystal balls, tapping his shoulder. “Hey. I’m new around town. Know where a guy can get a drink?”

“Oh, uh… let me think… uh, yes. The Terrorantula’s Web is near here. Down the street, make a left before the Eldritch Pet store.”

“Thanks. And while I got ya… you seen this girl around town?” I ask, flashing him the photo.

“Ew… no, I haven’t seen whatever that is. Looks too stringy for my taste.”

I bite back a grimace. “…Right. Thanks anyway.”

“Hope you like our town, stranger. Oh!” He reaches into his pocket, and tosses me some… coins? “Some snails for your troubles.” My… troubles?

…Is it the way I’m dressed?

* * *

You know, the upside of this place is that I don’t stand out physically. Downside is, since I was raised by humans in a human environment, I might stand out in my behavior.

Like this tavern. I know what humans want to pick a fight and which are just drowning their sorrows, but since everyone in this town looks so different, I can’t even begin to figure out the cliques in this place. Probably best to just stick to myself. If anyone does try to pick a fight with me, I’ll throw ‘em for a loop, no matter where their head is on their body.

The guy behind the bar is a giant spider of some kind with multiple mouths. Probably should’ve expected as much with the name. “Hey, Barkeep.”

“Hmm?”

“News come through here often? I’m visiting and I need some information.”

“Uh… yeah. We tend to get some real characters from around town. Don’t know much I can offer you though.”

“We’ll see. Give me something light while you’re at it. I’m on the job, so to speak.” The thing nods. It hands me… some kind of drink. I’m a little hesitant to take a sip; I don’t know what it’ll do to me. But I have to blend in, so I take a quick swig while all his eyes are elsewhere.

Hmm. Not bad. 

“Word has it… that there’s a human walking around these parts. Thought you might have heard something about it.”

“A human? …Eh… I’ve been hearing rumors, but no one talks about it too much. I did hear in the news that a human was sighted in Hexside school.” All of his eyes are on me. “Why you asking?”

“Consider me a hunter of sorts. Someone’s paying me big to get the human for them.”

“Who’d want some boring human?”

“I don’t ask questions, I just get paid.”

“Fair enough.” He goes back to cleaning various glasses. “Now, people all around town have been seeing that human from what I hear. I couldn’t tell you exactly where she is. But I hear there’s a place in the market that sells human garbage.”

“Human garbage?”

“Scam artist, probably. Most sane folk know human crap ain’t worth a single snail, but there’s a lot of silver-tongued stall owners in that part of town. What baffles me is how they’d get their product… as far as I know, the Boiling Isles have been cut off from the human world for years. In any case, if anybody would have a human, it’d likely be that stall.”

“Any idea where I might find it?”

“I’m sorry, no. I get my supplies from Hex-mart. I know curses and eyes of newts are usually fresher in the Harmers’ market, but…”

“I get ya. Guess I’ll just have to ask around.” I finish off the drink. That guy gave me some of this town’s currency, might as well use it.

“Ah, it’s on the house friend. Titan knows you’ll need all the money you can get…”

“Uh… thanks.” Why do people in this town keep thinking I’m some kind of bum? Is it cause I smell like dry-roasted peanuts?

* * *

“Eda!” Ah, I was wondering when Luz would get back. The little rascal went somewhere with her new friends; she didn’t say much other than they wanted to show her something. “You’re not gonna believe this!”

“I probably will, but fire away, short stuff.”

“Willow and Gus managed to get me a disguise so I can sneak into the school’s Magic Fair!”

“Ah, the Magic Fair. Where all the nerdiest students come together to show off their projects… and where the snobs make their parents buy out the competition. I remember my Magic Fairs… they still can’t clean my pranks off the walls, from what I hear. Wait… aren’t you banned from Hexside?”

“Well… I am. But I managed to find a disguise!” She pulls out a mask. Looks like someone’s face got sat on… “Or I made one anyway. It was either this, or… wear a mask from the other stalls that either wants to eat me or replace my face.”

“Oh, come on, Luz. The risk of face eating and/or replacing is the fun part! Builds character.” I inspect the mask. “Besides, this ain’t gonna be fooling anybody.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“No, it won’t.” A wave of my finger, and the mask reconstructs to look far more convincing. “There. A little construction magic, plus a pinch of illusion, and it’ll fool the pants off anyone.”

“Wow! Thanks, Eda!” She stopped herself. “Um…”

“No, it will not try to eat your face. Go have fun, kid. Just try not to let them turn you into a nerd or anything.”

“Woohoo! I already was a nerd!” She runs off. We’ll have to train that out of her. Oh well, back to my garbage. 

Wonder what I can get off this slinky thing… hey, maybe I can advertise it as a human intestine coated in metal.

I would keep going with that, but Owlbert starts going nuts. He’s still locked onto the staff, but he’s shaking like crazy. Better unscrew him and see what this is about… “What’s got your feathers so ruffled Owlbert? Haven’t seen you this shaky since I took you to the palisman vet…”

“Hoot!” He points his little wing out into the market. It takes me a moment to see what he’s looking at, but I do see it. Way down the street, is a big fella with a trenchcoat of some kind. His skin is a burning red, and he’s got this gritty face. But what really catches me off guard are his sawed down horn stumps, and his large stone right hand. No doubt about it, this is the fella that chased Owlbert.  
I still don’t understand what demon would willingly weather their horns like that. King goes on and on about how important a demon’s horns are to them, and only accept horns being broken in intense battle. Says ‘The only demons who do that are down on their luck and selling their horns for drink money’. He certainly looks the part. It has to be a human, I would think… but something about looking at this guy sets off alarms in my head. I don’t like it.

Not important. What matters is some guy who attacked Owlbert managed to find his way here even after my portal closed. Which means business today is closing early. “Come on, Owlbert. We’re closing up shop. We’ll just have to come out early tomorrow.” A few spell circles and my stand and product are formed into a bag, hanging off my staff. The portal is closed into a briefcase. Owlbert tries to get back on my staff. “Hang on. We don’t want him recognizing you. Climb into my hair a moment. Once he’s out of our hair… no pun intended, we’ll make a break for it.” He nods, and nestles himself into my hair, which I’m quick to cover up with a hood. “Now, let’s just sneak out of the market-”

“Hey, hold on a sec, miss.” I cringe internally. “I’m looking for a stall selling human junk. I was told it was down the street, around here. You know anything about it?”

I turn to face ‘you-know-who’ and… well damn. He’s even bigger up close. If it were anyone else, they could cave under the pressure of this scary guy immediately. But I’m a pro… a true master of the lie. “Human junk stall? Sorry buddy, haven’t seen it. They must’ve packed up for the day.”

“This early in the morning?”

“Hey, I don’t judge people’s business practices. Maybe they’re a late night stall.”

“Uh huh… well then, before I let you go… you seen this girl?” He pulls out a small picture and places it up to my face.

I… what? That’s Luz. As in, my apprentice. The human. Why does he have Luz’s picture? More importantly, why is he looking for her? Did she get in some kind of trouble? He did come from the human realm apparently… but why was he there? Was he searching for her then too? 

…I gotta find Luz. “Sorry stranger, never seen her. Humans don’t really come around here. Now, I’m a little busy, so I’ll leave you to your search…”

“I never said anything about her being human.”

…Aw nuts.

He starts advancing towards me slowly. “Now, I’d appreciate if you’d actually be cooperative and tell me what you know. Where is she?”

Damn. I panicked when I saw her photo. Usually I’m better at keeping track of my lies like that. Alright Eda, think, improvise… “Well darn. You’re craftier than you look. Alright, fine. I have seen her. She usually wanders around the market this time of day.”

“Why? Who brought her here?”

“Some powerful witch from the rich neighborhood. Likes to flaunt off things they found.” There you go, Eda. Back on track. “Guess that human girl was one of them.”

“Really.” He’s not asking. Darn, he might not be buying it. But I just need his attention off me for a moment… an illusion might work, but with him so close, he might interrupt me before I can pull it off. “You know… I really don’t like it when people try to feed me a load of crap. So I’m gonna ask you again. What do you know about the girl?”

“Look, I’ve only seen her.” I glance around the market, hoping for something else to cause a scene. Wait… are those…? Oh man, for once in my life, I’m really happy to see the guards. “Not much I can tell you beyond that. Now will you get out of my face?”

“Not happening.” He reaches for something in his coat.

“Well, I guess I’ve got no other choice then… THANK YOU SO MUCH, OLD FRIEND!” He gives off a confused and annoyed look. Just wait, you thick fist for brains… “IT’S REALLY NICE TO CATCH UP WITH SOMEONE WHO KNOWS EVERYTHING ABOUT ME AND MY ABILITIES AND MOST PERSONAL SECRETS! ME, EDA THE OWL LADY!”

“What the hell are you- OOF!” While he gets tackled by one guard, I manage to avoid the other. Those big brutes never could catch me. Finally, I get the chance to escape. “Come on, Owlbert! We’ve got to go find Luz.” He hops out of my hair and on to my staff, and we take flight, speeding through the sky and away from the market. “But first, a quick stop to the house… King should be there, and I need to give Hooty very explicit instructions…”

* * *

“What the hell are you doing?!”

“You are hereby under arrest for fraternizing with a criminal!”

“Criminal? What?!”

“Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law! Choosing to keep quiet is not much better however, as we will use a mind worm to suck out your memories!”

“Get… off!” One swing of my regular arm knocks the guard holding me clean out. The other two don’t take kindly to that. 

“Get him! Don’t let him escape!”

“Oh, I’m not going to escape.” I grab the second guard by the face and slam him straight into the ground. It cracks from the force. Third guy’s not looking so confident now.

“Uh… maybe w-we can let you off with a w-w-warning for now.”

I grab him by the scruff of his outfit. “Why did you attack me?”

“Y-you were fraternizing with a criminal! We heard her say-”

“She was pawning you off on me, you morons!” But that’s news. That woman really did know something if she was trying to distract me like that. And if she’s a criminal, then these guards will definitely have information on her. “Tell you what, cone head. Today’s you’re lucky day. I’m looking for something that lady has, and I’ll be all too happy to catch her for you in the process. Just tell me where I can find her, and keep your guards out of my way.”

“R-right!” I drop him, and he scrambles to get up. “But… wait… you don’t know who she is?”

“I’m from out of town. Humor me.” I clench my stone hand as a warning.

He quickly searches through his bags, pulling out a large poster… a wanted poster. “Her name is Eda Clawthorne, alias The Owl Lady. She is an incredibly powerful witch who relies on wild magic. She has been evading capture for some time now.” I grab the poster from him and look it over. 

“What was she doing in the market then?”

“She… has a stall. She sells human garbage right under our noses. Even when we find her, she always manages to get away.”

“Human garbage…” Then she was the stall owner. But how did she know I was coming? She’s never met me before, and there was no proof I was with the guards. Something’s not adding up… unless… I managed to spot her flying away. She was flying on some kind of staff… and on the head of it was something with wings. I couldn’t tell for certain; she was too far away to see that well. But if that owl from before belonged to her… well, only one way to find out. “Hey,” I wave the picture again. “You ever seen this girl with her?”

His eyes widen. “Yes! I have! The Owl Lady brought her to steal an item from our prison, the Conformatorium. Something that belonged to her pet. Only a human can go through the barrier. She then went on to assault the warden and help several prisoners escape.”

“And since then?”

“Guards have reported seeing the girl with her. Sometimes out on her own, searching for items in the market. We assume Eda has taken to using the human as a servant.”  
The poster is crumpling from my grasp. That hag kidnapped her… just so she could have an errand girl?! …That does it. I see her again, I’ll knock her head clean off. I turn back to the guard. “You guys at least now what rock she goes crawling under?”

“We do. She lives in a house on the outskirts. We tried many times to get into it… but her house demon is too strong for us.”

House demon? So she’s got a security system. Luckily for me, I’ve got the perfect breaking and entering tool. “Point me in right direction, and you’ll have an owl lady by the end of the day.”  
“Th…thank you. And for the record, I apologize for assuming you were in league with the owl lady. We figured you were probably desperate…”

“Look, just don’t… desperate? What do you mean desperate?”

“Uh… well… you seemed down on your luck. With what you did to your horns and all…”

“My horns? What do you mean my-” Wait. My horns. That I don’t have.

…

Great. So I do look like a bum. Guess I stand out more than I thought I did.

* * *

“Yes… yes! My minion, you are almost complete! Just one more… there!”

Ah yes. Francois, one of my army’s many captains, has been given the opportunity to evolve. His floppy ears already struck terror into my enemies… but now, with this, no one will stand up to him! …Except me, of course. 

“Yes, with this… A BOWTIE!” I shout to the heavens, holding him up high. “The classiness of this bowtie is already too much for anyone to handle! Combined with your floppy ears… you’ll surely become the general of my army, Francois.”

I’m interrupted from my preparations by the door slamming open. Hooty gives a grunt of pain. “Hoot! Ouch! Well gee, Eda, no need to be forceful.” Eda? That’s weird. She’s never back from the market this soon.

“Quiet, Hooty. I don’t have time. King? King!”

“Over here, Eda. The heck are you doing back here?”

“I ran into some trouble in the market. I just came here to let you know.”

“Pfft. You always run into trouble at the market. What’s so special this time?” I mean, Eda only gets like this when… “…Was it an ex-boyfriend?”

“No.” She places her stall bag down. “Some big red guy with a stone hand. For some reason, he was looking for Luz. And he was setting off all kinds of danger vibes for me.” She picks up a few of her non-magic items and stuffs them into her hair. “I need to go look for Luz. Whatever this knucklehead wants from her is anybody’s guess, but it can’t be good. In the meantime, I need you to stay here, King. No garbage pillaging, no minion searching, don’t even step onto the front lawn. Stay inside. As for you, Hooty, make sure to keep anyone but me, King, and Luz out. And if you see the big red fella… go nuts on him.”

“Caaaaaan do! Hooty hoot!”

“Jeez, Eda. You’re acting like Emperor Belos himself might show up. Do you even know if he uses magic?”

“Look, in any other instance, I’d laugh this off. But the kid can’t handle herself like I can. She only knows a light spell. Until she’s back in the house, I’m treating this more seriously than I usually do.”  
“Isn’t she at that Magic fair at Hexisde? Aren’t you both banned from there?”

“I gave her a disguise, but it’s certainly going to be harder for me to wander into there. Harder… but nowhere near challenging.” She puts a pair of sunglasses on, a smirk growing wide on her face. “I’ll be back soon.” And with that, she flies off, gone as fast as she arrived.

Wow. Eda usually never gets like this. Even when her third ex-boyfriend came back around… and that guy had thirteen heads. And one of them wouldn’t stop tipping his hat…

Whatever. Honestly, I feel like Eda’s overreacting. Like I said before, if it were Belos himself, then I’d understand, but a big muscle guy? Eda can fight those kinds of guys off in her sleep. Oh well. Nothing much I can do about it. Might as well go back to upgrading my minions. 

Now then, Bartholomew… your large eyes and terrifyingly fluffy tail are already weapons of mass destruction… but none of my accessor- I mean, improvements, really match with them. Wait! I know!  
Let me see if nothing ate it yet… ah ha! On the far end of clearing, where the forest begins! A deep red flower, one that looks really prett- dah, I mean, it’s an ancient flower of fire, granting the wielder immeasurable power. With that, Bartholomew’s power could match Francois! All the while creating a fierce rivalry in the name of impressing me! Only for them to gradually go from bitter rivals to best of friends! It’s perfect…

I got to get it before it something happens to it. Just open the window up here, and…

“HOOOTY TIME! Eda told you not to leave, King!” Oh right. The most annoying door ornament in the world. Also, the being with the worst sense of personal space. 

“I’m just running down to get that flower of fire over there.” I push him away from my face. “Besides, what’s the problem just walking a few steps away from the house? Even if Eda’s new boyfriend is after them, no one on the Isles is dumb enough to attack the house itself.” 

“Don’t care! I’m feeling particularly strict today! I’m a wild card!” He says, twisting and curling like he usually does.

“Ugh!” I hate it when Hooty’s daily whims start getting in the way. Still, he might be strong, but he’s an idiot. “How strict are you feeling today?”

“Specifically strict!”

I can work with that. “Well, you know… Eda only said not to leave here… and here is relative. And if you carried me over to the flower, I technically wouldn’t be stepping on the front lawn. So whaddya say, Hooty? How about you help me get that flower in a way that technically doesn’t break Eda’s rules?”

“Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm-H’OKAY!” Ha! Dummy. He gets low so I can climb on his head, and begins to stretch towards the flower. Just a little closer… a little closer… my army’s almost complete… got it! And look at that! No big brute dude in sight. Nothing to worry abo-

“GAH!” Something picks me up by the scruff of my neck. I hate that! “Who dares attempt to indignify me-”

…Uh oh.

“I dare.” The big red guy says. As in, the big red guy Eda warned us about while also telling me to stay in the house for safety but I decided to go out anyway because I didn’t think he would come here but now he’s here holding me by the scruff of my neck because he’s actually crazy enough to attack the house… yeah, that guy. “You’re pretty photogenic, you know.” He’s got a rolled up paper in his hands. Must be the wanted poster.

“Y-y-yeah. I uh, look good from all angles.”

“Not for much longer if you don’t tell me what I want to know.” He tosses me up slightly just so he can catch me by the tail.

“Gah! Stop! This is not the way people usually demonhandle me and I think I prefer the other way!”

“Where’s your master?”

“Master?! I am the King of Demons, leader of a great army! She is by no means my mast-AHHH!” He pinches my good horn with his stone hand. 

“You gonna tell me or are you gonna speechify? Cause I don’t like it when creeps like you waste my time. I think it’ll be spent better finding out whether this bone thing is something you wear… or if it’s part of your face.” He tugs on my horn slightly. 

“NO! It’s my face! It’s my face!”

“Then talk! Before I find out for myself.”

“Well, you see, she didn’t tell me before she left, but uh, H-H-Hooty might know! Isn’t that right, Hooty? …Hooty?” Come on, Hooty, that’s your cue! What on earth is he doing?!

…I don’t believe it. “Hooty… WHY ARE YOUR EYES CLOSED?!”

“You were stepping on them, so I had to close them. Lovely conversation you’re having! Who’s your new friend? Hoot hoot!”

Luckily, Hooty’s idiocy even has the stranger stupefied. Which gives me only one chance…. “OPEN YOUR EYES, YOU MORON!”

“H’okay!” He says. One of these days, Hooty…  
...  
...  
...

“HOOT!” After saying nothing for like, ten seconds, Hooty rockets forward suddenly, plowing into the guy and forcing him to drop me. Better late than never, said NO ONE EVER! Whatever. At least he’ll chase this guy off now.

Hooty plows him right into a tree. The guy must be tough though, cause he doesn’t seem all that winded. He swipes Hooty away from him with his stone arm. Hooty responds using himself as a giant whip, hitting the guy over and over. Every time he swipes at Hooty, he only gets whiff of air. Like I said, Hooty’s an idiot, but he’s strong.

“Stay still you freaky snake-owl hybrid!”

Now seems like a perfect time to gloat. “Ha! Serves you right for threatening me! And who are you calling a freak? Coming from the guy that actually sawed his horns off!”

“Get a different hairstyle from everybody else, and suddenly they won’t stop talking about it…” He mutters, before having his feet swept out from under him. Hooty proceeds to barrel into the ground, before coming back out underneath the guy, flinging him up.

What happens next nearly makes me hop out of my fur. When the guy lands, he pulls out some kind of metal object. In a moment, something starts blasting out of the thing towards Hooty… and consequently towards me. I jump in surprise as a something hits the ground next to me. Hooty gets hit in his face, but it doesn’t seem to do too much. 

“Gotta be kidding me…” He mutters.

“OUCH! My face! Stop doing that! I have sensitive skin!” Hooty shouts. News to me.

Hooty appears to have enough of this guy, so with a swift move, he coils around the guy and constricts, keeping him from moving. 

Thank the Titan… this guy was a complete nutjob. Still, Eda was so worried… and yet here the guy is, wrapped up like a present. “Well, well, well. Guess Eda got worked up over nothing. We’ll have to tell her how we handled this ‘big bad dude’ when she gets back.” With some… embellishing on my part, of course. “Oh, I know! Let’s throw him into the ocean, Hooty! …Hooty?”

Hooty’s got this strained look on his face. Is he… struggling? “Hooty’s… having trouble…” I look to his victim. Sure enough, he’s forcing Hooty’s coils open. Before I know it, he bursts out… and he looks mad. 

“I’VE HAD ENOUGH OF THIS CRAP!” He picks up a large branch from nearby. “I am not getting beat up by a doorknob with feathers!” A quick swipe, and Hooty gets smacked across the face. He tries to fling himself at the guy again, but this time he’s ready for him. With one swing of his stone fist, Hooty’s given a clean punch.

Unfortunately, for both of us, that seems to do it. Hooty recoils and retracts all the way back to the front door. I’m quick to follow him, not wanting to get caught by this guy again. “Hooty? Hooty! Speak to me!”

“Hooty no feel good…”

“Come on, Hooty, this is no time for a nap! He’s coming!” I nervously look from him to the guy. The red guy’s got a small boulder in his arm now. Is he…?

“Knock knock.” He says, reeling it back.

As cowardly as it would feel, now might be a good time to move. I scramble away. I can feel the wind from the thrown boulder as it slams straight into the front door. Hooty is knocked from his hinges completely. “HOOOOT!” 

I make it to the bushes. Luckily, the guy seems more interested in the house right now, as he makes his way inside… but this is bad. This guy might be worse than even Eda thought. And she said he’s not even looking for her… 

He’s looking for… oh no.

I gotta find Luz.

* * *

That was dumb. If Abe and Liz ever find out I almost got my ass kicked by a bird wreath, they’ll never let me hear the end of it. Best to keep this one to myself. The little guy got away, but I have an immovable witness with me to make up for it. For now, I should see if the kid’s here in this house…

The house is what I’d typically imagine from any witch. A good number of unknown ingredients and magical objects. My search doesn’t bring up much beyond that. I find a giant owl’s nest, which does make me a little worried. I don’t want to find a giant pellet with human bones in it. 

The last room is important, though. I find a sleeping bag. Nothing but a sleeping bag and a small amount of her belongings. And a picture of her with her mother… poor kid must be only barely keep from losing it by looking at this thing.

Good news is, she’s coming home today. 

Bad news is, she’s not here. The witch must’ve taken her somewhere. I make my way back to the talking doorbell. “Listen up, bird brain.”

“THat’S wHaT I Am…” He says in a daze. 

“I’d like to know where your master is… now you already know how hard I hit… so you better tell me the right answer.”

“hOoOt… He-…HeXside… schooooo….” He trails off, going unconscious. But I caught that. Same thing the bartender said. Hexside… why there? Is she going for backup?  
I won’t figure it out standing here, of course. But if that’s where she’s going… I might as well take the opportunity to school her.

…Hmm. Glad I didn’t say that out loud. Lines like that’ll get you a bad reputation...

* * *

“Oh my gosh, I’m so excited!” I dash around, taking in all the students’ stands. “There’s so many projects! ‘The applications of Newt Tails’, ‘The Effects of Transmutation on Flesh’, ‘Kraken Soda Volcanoes’? It’s all so amazing!”

“Easy, Luz.” Willow pulls me back by my shoulders. “Eda may have given you a disguise, but Bump might still be able to figure out it’s you. Probably best not to draw too much attention to yourself.”

“Right, sorry. I’m just getting magic overload. So many projects, so little time!” Still, I thought willow would be all over this… “Didn’t you make a project, Willow?”

“Well, I was going to… but Amity’s still fuming over the abomination incident. Considering she also joined the fair, I thought it be best to steer clear for now.”

“Speaking of which…” My other new friend, Gus, pipes up. “Blight at twelve o’clock!”

“Whuh?”

“Straight ahead!” Sure enough, Amity was walking down the path, several batwinged monster mouths carrying her project behind her. From what I could glimpse, something about the study of better renewable wand energy sources.

“Quick,” Willow pulled us over to the side. “Act natural!”

We pretended to converse, to the best of our ability. Gus and Willow started up something about school lunch policy and whether or not they should have to fight their food. But I don’t know anything about that! What if Amity looks over here and sees me not saying anything? She was watching us a lot during the abomination thing… apparently. Oh shoot! I didn’t realize, but I was staring at her the whole time I was thinking all that! She just caught me looking at her! I quickly looked away, but… aw man, she must know something’s weird now! Quick, improvise!

“AND SO I SAY TO HIM, QUIT ‘GOBLIN’ EVERYTHING DOWN!”

Maybe not that… the whole aisle is staring at me now… and Amity most definitely suspects something, cause she’s walking right over. 

“What are you doing here, Willow?”

“Oh, Amity, just… checking out the projects with some friends.”

“Friends, hmm? I recognize shorty over there. (“Hey!”) But who is this? I don’t remember them going to our school.”

“O-oh, her? She’s just… visiting from another school. Bloodwell. We were showing her around so she wouldn’t feel out of place.”

“Oh really? And what’s your name?” She stared me down, right into my soul.

“G…Goblita?”

“Uh huh… and what exactly interested you enough to come here, Guh Goblita?”

“Uh… goblin… stuff?” Oh, please buy it…

“…Hmm. Fine, that checks out.” Wait, it does? “But I’m keeping my eyes on you…” She did the whole ‘point at my eyes then point at you’ thing before leaving.

I feel a sigh of relief come from my mouth. “That was too close…”

“Man, it’s a good thing everyone knew Goblarry was doing a project on Goblin engineering today.” Gus stated matter-of-factly. “That was some quick thinking, Luz.”

More like panicked thinking, but yeah, it worked out nicely. “So where to first?”

“Well, there’s a presentation on utilizing weaponized pet cuteness we thought you’d might like.”

“Oh! You didn’t tell me there was a cuteness stall! I should’ve brought Kin-wah!”

I didn’t have much time to react before being pulled in between two stalls. Considering this is the Boiling Isles, the first thing that came to my head was “scary monster”. So, I did what I thought was appropriate.

“MMMMMMMMPPHH” I scream out through a closed mouth

“Luz. Luz! Take it easy, it’s just me.” I stop at the sound of Eda’s voice and peer up. “Jeez, kid, if that was your best defensive tactic, maybe I need to start training you more in fighting than spellcasting…”

She finally lets me go. But why is she here? She didn’t really have any interest coming to this event. Maybe she’s pulling a prank? But most importantly… “What was that all about?”

“Sorry, kid, just needed to get you out of sight. Things got dicey in the market today, and for some reason it’s revolving around you.”

“Me? But I haven’t gotten into trouble today… yet.” Probably best to answer that way. Honestly, I expected some kind of hijinks that would involve me losing my disguise and being chased all around the fair field.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure. I’ve been with Willow and Gus, and they’ve been keeping me away from Bump and Amity.”

“Then you haven’t met a big red-skinned, stone armed guy with missing horns?”

“Uh… no?” Not that I know of… but why does that sound familiar?

“Well regardless, that kind of guy’s after you. Sorry kid, we’re gonna have to cut your fun times short today.”

“Aww…” And here I was looking forward to all the magic…

“Oh, don’t worry about it too much. The Covention’s coming up anyways, and that makes this look like a baby class show and tell. Not that I’d advise going to Covention, but I know you’ll want to, and you’d probably learn about it one way or another.”

“Oooooh, now I’m definitely excited again!”

“You can get excited in the Owl House. Come on, hop on the staff and we’ll get out of here. Once I know who this guy is and what he’s capable of, maybe you’ll get to go to the Covention. But for now, you’re staying in the safety of the house.”

I take a seat on Owlbert. Hopefully Eda can help me send a message to Willow and Gus about why I left so suddenly. Man, I think I actually would’ve preferred the shenanigans coming from Amity or my disguise.

“Eda! EDA!” The familiar squealy voice of King catches both of our attention, stopping us before we can make it off the ground.

“King?” Eda actually seems a little upset. “I told him to stay in the house…”

The two of us peer out from our little alley, searching for King. Down the street, he’s quickly scuffling around, almost like a scared lost child.

“He’s gonna get us caught…” Eda lifts her staff, as if she’s about to throw a spear. “Get him out of the open.” With a swift throw, Owlbert zooms by King and picks him, boomeranging back to us. “King! I know it’s kind of our group dynamic to be rebellious to everyone, even each other, but when I said stay in the house I meant it!”

It takes King a second to regain his bearings. “I know, I know! And I did! M…mostly. But that guy you warned us about showed up at the house! He attacked!” 

“What?!”

“Hooty fended him off for a while, but the guy was really strong! H-he had this metal thing that shot other metal, and he hit him… hit him with a branch, and a rock, and he… he threatened to pull my face off! It was as if he was as tough as your owl beast thing!” Hearing King get so scared about this guy prompts me to pull him into a hug.

I noticed Eda’s hands clenching up right away. “Damn it…” That’s the first time I’ve heard her curse. Er, non-magic curse, I mean. “I should’ve been there. Hooty and I would’ve sent him running with his tail between his legs… King, take Luz back to the Owl House.”

“But it’s-”

“I know, it’s trashed. But that guy’s been making a beeline for Luz. He has to be on his way here… or maybe he already is here. I’m going to go confront him, and make sure he stops following us for the time being. Then, once I get back to the house, we can start fortifying. Attack my house, threaten my friend, try to take my student… he’s about to find out why I’m the most powerful witch on the Isles.”

* * *

People probably think it’s strange how different the magical realms are to ours. I tend to think it’s strange how similar they actually are. Might as well be looking at a science fair… guess I should be glad they didn’t call it a ‘silence’ fair or anything. Those puns were getting on my nerves.

Still haven’t connected the pieces since I got here. For all accounts and purposes, this is like any other school… normal students just trying to get an education. Did she come here so she could have meat shields and cannon fodder?

I don’t like it. I feel like I’m missing something here. Info that’s dancing just out of reach, something that’ll bite me in the ass sooner or later. Did she really just kidnap the girl for a servant? Or is there something more going on here?

All these questions aren’t helped by a fruitless search. Thought finding the girl here would be like looking for an apple among oranges, but I haven’t seen even a sign of her. Hope the witch didn’t change routes. I’m getting tired of this chase as is. Even the picture isn’t helping.

I get knocked out of my thoughts by a shove. Some pint-size triple eyed brat didn’t even have the decency to say “excuse me”. 

“Watch it, geezer.” 

“Cute kid…” I say with every bit of dry sarcasm. 

“They get real vicious at that age. I should know.”

…Figures. She musta been waiting for me. I turn my attention to the Owl Lady, smugly looking at me from a few feet away. “Hey there, pellet witch.” I light myself a cigarette. If we’re really gonna get into this, I’ll need a smoke.

“That’s Owl Lady to you, tomato face.”

“Only my pals call me that. To you, it’s Hellboy.”

“Oh, what’s the matter, not Hellish enough to be a man?”

“I’ve got enough self-respect to not care.”

“No sense of self-preservation though, since you’ve been antagonizing the most powerful witch on the Boiling Isles.”

“Think you misspelled “cockiest”. Besides, if you’re so powerful, how come you been running from me all day?”

“Because it would be a waste of my time to trounce you. I’ve got better things to do than teach a hornless idiot that he shouldn’t mess with me… but then you attacked my house, my friend King, and you’re trying to take my human…”

“Your human? That’s a laugh…” We share a glare. “Listen, Lady… I’m tired, you’re ugly… and neither of us are getting any younger. How about we end this already?”

“Excuse you, I am clearly an eleven out of ten. But sure, I agree. So tell you what… you leave this town and never show your face to me again, and I’ll agree to not vaporize you on the spot.”

“Better offer. You give me the girl, and I won’t completely ruin your face with the beating I’ll give you.” I take the cigarette from my mouth. “Might wanna take me up on that.”

“Not happening, you hornless freak. She’s staying with me.”

Again with the horns. “Well, in that case,” I flick the cigarette in her direction. “Let’s do this.”

Our staredown lasts a while. Both of us are waiting for the other to make a move. And we know it. 

All of the sudden, Owl Lady slams her staff on the ground… a blast of smoke comes forward, covering my sight. I dash forward to where I know she was, hoping she didn’t take the chance to run. All I get is more smoke. Great. 

The hell’s that rumbling noise?

A giant owl face comes bursting into view. “JEEZ!” I barely have time to jump out of the way before several smaller ones come from the ground, darting towards me. They’re slower than the bird door though, at it takes a few second to smash each one.

The attack clears up the smoke, but I haven’t spotted her yet. By now, people are running away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire. She knows where I am though and feels fine taking pot shots at me. I feel myself be struck by bolts of fire. I can take hits like that just fine. Fire’s no big deal. But I’d really like to figure out where she’s shooting me from. 

I spot her on one of the top of the stands. That smug look is still on her face. I take out my gun and fire on her, knowing she probably thinks I can only punch people. She doesn’t seem too surprised. Must’ve been informed by her little friend. What does catch her off guard is when my gun blasts off her hand. 

Unfortunately, she’s got another trick up her sleeve. I see her hand still move after I blast it- looks like I didn’t damage it too badly- it draws a circle in the air, while the main body itself shoots more fire bolts at me. I do my best to weave through them.

I run towards her, wanting to close the distance- it’s obvious she wants to keep this a ranged fight. I get up close and it’ll be a bad time for her. She seems to know, cause I get tripped up by a sudden by a rope with a mind of its own. 

Doesn’t take me too long to rip it off, but it’s long enough for her to grab her hand… and reattach it to herself. Well, that’s perfect. She’s like a lego or something…

Can’t let it slow me down. She seemingly sinks into the ground right as I get to the stall. Really hate this game of hide and seek.

I don’t have to spend too much time waiting for her to show. This time I feel a shock- lightning feels like. That does hurt worse. This time she’s up in the air, floating. A stronger blast of lightning hits me, flinging me into several of the stands. Gonna feel that one tomorrow. But this is a good opportunity. She floats lower, thinking she’s got me. I pull myself up with a nearby wheelbarrow full of some kind of vegetable. Right as she prepares another spell, I throw the thing at her, knocking her out of the sky. She lands some good yards away. Better close the distance while I can.

She’s tougher than I thought she’d be. She jumps up, and slams her staff again. I’m seeing double now… scratch that, about twenty of her. They start whizzing around me, taunting me. I try to hit one, but my fist goes right through, dissipating it. Illusions, no doubt. Looks like they go away if I disrupt em.

But I can’t go swinging my fists wildly. That’s probably what she wants. I keep my pistol at the ready. 

“Sleep tight.” I whirl around to find her right behind me, just as she hits me with some kind of spell.

_SLEEP_

The word rings in my head. A sleep spell, huh? Too bad for you, snaggletooth. I’m not feeling all too tired.

That finally takes the smile off her face. I might not know all that much about her, but she doesn’t know everything about me either. In my coat, I have charms and talismans collected from all over the world to protect against magic. In particular to this case, I’ve got charms that ward off sleep spells. One too many sneaky bastards use it as an escape plan, and they use to hit me a lot.

Still, I’ve been feeling some of these hits. I’ve learned recently that they don’t always completely protect me. And this witch’s attacks have hurt me a few times. I guess I should be glad the anti-sleep charms were potent enough… or that her sleep spell wasn’t as strong as her others.

I throw a punch, but she’s still got enough sense to fight. She throws up a force field of some kind up, but it cracks with my first punch. Another swing and it shatters. Should’ve paid attention to her staff though, she’s got some spell prepared. She aims it at me point blank, and my instincts tell me to dodge. Just a tad too late though, and I feel a cold sensation wash over a large part of my body.

My body’s encased in ice… a freezing spell. Getting bad flashbacks to Marrakesh… My stone arm’s stuck, at least enough to not have good leverage. My other’s free though. Still strong, but it could take a few punches more to shatter the ice.

Owl Lady starts walking up to me. “Well, I’ll admit. You’re one tough fella. Caught me off guard a few times even. Not easy to do when you don’t use magic, especially against me. But I think this fight’s over. Probably should’ve slept when you had the chance. Now I gotta give you a nap the hard way.” 

Better think fast, or this might hurt. I check to see if there’s anything around me. No, it’s all too far. Anything on me? I got one pocket on my coat completely free. Only one chance then… she’s charging up some kind of spell, and I don’t want to find out what it is. 

My luck must be turning around.

I pull the pin from the grenade with my mouth and toss the thing in front of me. “I don’t think it’s gonna be _my_ naptime.” She seems to realize the threat and throws another shield up. 

I’m not out of this yet.

* * *

The explosion rocks the ground, causing me to fall over. I look back and see smoke billowing up from where the fight was going on. “Eda…”

“She can take that guy no problem, Luz. Come on, we got to go! We’re almost off the schoolyard!”

“We… we can’t just leave her with that guy!”

“Luz, I don’t mean to be cruel, but I’m a small guy, and you only know a light spell. Neither of us are in a position to help her. Also- he’s after _you_!”

“I know, but I… I just…”

“Luz, Eda will be fine. She’s gotten out of worse scrapes before. You have to trust her. Now come on!”

As much as I hate leaving her, King’s right. Reluctantly, I start running, but can’t keep my eyes off of the smokestack…

Probably should’ve actually been looking forward. “OOF!” I say, before falling flat on my butt.

“UNNH!... Watch it, nitwit! Oh, it’s you…” Who said that? Wait, why can’t I see?!

“AHH! King, I’ve gone blind!”

“What are you… wait a minute…” A flash of light shines on me as I feel the mask pulled off of me. I’m very relieved to see again…

Only to find Amity is the first thing I see. “WAH!”

“I knew it! I knew there was something wrong with you! You’re Willow’s “abomination”!”

“Uh… I can explain!” Before I can, I hear the fighting from behind us… is it getting closer?

“Can we do this some other time?” King asks.

Amity ignores him, but I’m starting to drown out the talking too. “Explain what, exactly? How you’re obviously trying to sneak into the school to cause trouble again? Is this all your doing?!” I stare closer at the fairground. Surely, I wasn’t mishearing… “Are you even listening to me?!”

It happens in a moment. I see the stalls in front of me start smashing and flying aside. I instinctively fling myself against Amity, sending us both to the ground. “WATCH OUT!”

We hit the ground, and I can feel the wind and some rubble hit my back- it’s small but it stings a little. The rest of it lands over us. I can tell from the impact it makes that it would’ve hurt. I stare at it a moment, amazed at close we were to injury.

“Get off of me!” Amity tosses me aside. Her face is all red for some reason… did she get hit?

I turn back to find out what caused that explosion of wood. Thankfully, it’s Eda. But she has a shield up, and is breathing deeply and is sweating. The shield’s looking very cracked… “Who hits people with statues?! That’s just rude…”

“Eda!”

“Kid? I told you to head home!”

“I…” I don’t have time to answer her. A shadow looms in the dust in front of her… but she’s focused on me. “EDA! LOOK OUT!”

Eda’s too late to dodge. A giant fist smashes through her shield and into her, not only sending her flying away, but in pieces. Her parts hit the ground in front of me. “Eda! Are you okay?!”

“Ohhhh…” She’s knocked out. 

“Huh… guess I really did knock her head clean off.” I look up to the figure in the dust… who is now staring right at me. “Hang on a sec…”

“Oh boy…”

“HIYAH!” I hear King yell at the top of his lungs. “RUN!” He shouts at me, before charging at the stranger. He simply catches King and throws him off to the side weakly.

Amity doesn’t seem to know what to do. She’s frozen in fear. Eda and King are out of commission… but… he’s looking for me, right? He only wants me?

I bolt, making a mad dash for anywhere but here.

“Hey! Stop!” The guy shouts.

I can’t slow down. I can hear hooves behind me… cloven hooves? No. Can’t focus on that. Gotta move. I’ve got to get him as far from Eda and King and Amity as I can… 

I run a few blocks, making twist and turns the whole way. I make a few last sharp turns, before I notice an empty stall. I jump inside and try to stay quiet.

At first, I don’t hear anything. I’m left alone with my thoughts. But then, I see a shadow in the light. It moves every now and then. He’s checking all the stalls… It’s not long before his figure emerges in the doorway.

Lo siento, mami…

The figure moves through the entrance towards me. Eda was right… he was big. And I don’t have anything to protect me! Oh, this is bad…

“There you are. Been looking all over for you.”

W-what does he want with me? Oh no… are humans a delicacy to guys like him? I do my best to try and scooch away, but the only thing I feel is wall behind me.

“Hey, whoa now. It’s okay, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m on your side.”

On my side? Why would the big scary guy be on my side? He kneels down, and I can finally see him clearly. 

“Are you hurt? Any bruises or scrapes?”

I… I don’t believe my eyes. 

My terror turns into utter excitement. I feel my jaw widen on its own. Of course he would be here to help. He’s… he’s…

“Sorry if I frightened you or anything. The name’s-”

“¡DIOS MIO, ERES HELLBOY!”

“Uh… yeah. That’s me.”

“Soy una gran admiradora, he leído todos tus cómics y he visto todas tus películas. ¡Tengo muchas preguntas! ¿Con cuántos gorilas cyborg has luchado? ¿Cuál es el monstruo más espeluznante que has visto? ¿Alguna vez saliste con un hombre lobo? ¡¿ME DAS TU AUTÓGRAFO?!”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down, kid!” 

“Sorry! I just got really excited. You have no idea, I’ve heard all about your adventures with the BPRD. The Tunisian Mirage, The Sword of Storms, The Zombies of Brazil! I’ve just love your comics!”

“Those things never get the eyes right…” 

“The only thing I love more is ‘Good Witch Azura’. In fact, I wrote a crossover fanfic between the two of you online! It only has like, thirty reviews… but I’m very proud of it!”

“Look, I’m flattered and all, but we need to focus. Are you okay? Can you walk?”

“Oh? Uh, yeah. I’m fine.”

“Good. So your kidnapper hasn’t done any weird spells to you. As far as I can tell… Get ready to move, kid. We wanna get you home in one piece.”  
“Huh? What do you-”

“Luz! …Luz! Answer me!”

“Eda!” She’s okay!

“Damn. Tough hag… don’t worry, kid. Stay here for now, while I go have a talk with your would-be master.”

“Um… okay?” What on earth did he mean by that? Wait… maybe he’s here to help us with the guy that’s trying to find me!

…Wait a sec… if Eda was fighting Hellboy this whole time… 

_“Then you haven’t met a red-skinned, stone armed big guy with missing horns?”_

And Hellboy wants to save me from someone he thinks already kidnapped me…

_“Stay here for now, while I go have a talk with your would-be master.”_

…Uh oh.

I rush outside. The two of them are already at it again, smashing through nearby buildings. King must’ve helped Eda put herself back together…

“You stay away from Luz!” She fires a lightning bolt at Hellboy.

Hellboy blocks it with his stone hand, all the while he fires his gun at her. “That’s my line, hag!”

“Hag?! I’m in my forties, you asshole!” Oof. Another curse from Eda as she slams the ground with her staff. A tree-like arm bursts from the ground and tries to squash Hellboy.

“Coulda fooled me!” He says, cracking it apart as he meets it with his own fist.

On the one hand, it’s pretty awesome seeing my mentor and my hero-idol go at it in a glorious fight. But on the other hand, I really need to stop this before either of them gets hurt. Eda’s looking exhausted, and she could succumb to her curse if she uses too much more. And the BPRD can’t lose Hellboy… “HEY! EDA! HELLBOY! PLEASE, STOP! YOU DON’T HAVE TO FIGHT ANYMORE!”

It’s no use. They’re going at it so hard, they can’t hear me. What can I do? If I get in the middle of it, I could get hurt, completely defeating the purpose of both. And all I know is a light spell…

A… a light spell. A very shiny light spell.

I grab a nearby stick from the ground and begin drawing. I need to complete it before they take the fight somewhere else. “Luz! There you are!” King rushes up to me as I’m almost done. “Come on, we got to go!”

“No! I know how to stop this fight! I just need to complete this glyph!” I go back to drawing.

“Are you nuts?! That won’t do anything to him!”

“I’m not trying to hurt him!”

“What?!”

“Just trust me!” I finish the circle. If this doesn’t do it, I might have to get involved. I slam down my hands as hard as I can…

The surface of the ground is sucked into the orb of light that emerges. I turn to the two fighting. I’ve gotten the attention of both. It’s now or never.

“Please! Please, stop fighting!” I turn to Eda. “He’s not here to hurt me! He helps people!”

“What?! Wait, do you… know him?!”

“Yes… well, not really… I can tell you when we get back to the house.” I then turn to Hellboy. “Thank you, Hellboy… but I wasn’t kidnapped. I… I chose to stay here myself.”

He looks shocked. “…You’re gonna have to explain that one to me, kid.”

“I will… to both of you.” I sigh in relief. King climbs onto my shoulder, probably also confused. 

Man, what a day this has been.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo! That one was a doozy to write. 
> 
> Sorry folks, I tried to do Hooty justice, but I don’t think he’d beat Hellboy at the end of the day. He’s faced weirder and worse.
> 
> Eda on the other hand… well, she would put up a far better fight. 
> 
> THAT BEING SAID- My advice, follow Stan Lee’s word on the matter, and don’t worry too much about who would logically beat who. Do what makes sense, but also what makes the story interesting. Another thing I’ve learned is to make sure both sides of a crossover are treated with the same level of respect. You don’t want one side looking better than the other. It’s why I had some technicalities in their fight, and why neither truly won.
> 
> Give me the word, all you birds! I love to hear feedback, whether you need to learn me a few things or just like the story, I keep an open ear. See you next time!


	4. Stay a While

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Luz introduces Hellboy and tells the agent what happened, she's told some very discomforting news. Faced with the consequences of her actions, Hellboy convinces her to leave to own up to her decisions... but finds there might be complications to that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all you happy people. Sure been a bit, eh? Yeah, this chapter is around as long as the last, but it took longer to write out because of certain character moments I wanted to get right. Even now I’m a little nervous about them, but you can’t learn until you take the first step, so you know. 
> 
> Before we move on to the chapter, big mcthankies from mcspankies to TakanaMakana, my current editor! He was the one who made sure all the Spanish was correct and beta read this chapter for me. Couldn’t have done this without him.
> 
> Just a heads up, we move away from action and more to character interaction this chapter. Hope y’all enjoy!

_In 1944, the U.S. army sent a squad of soldiers to a small town in East Bromwich, England. Even a hero from the time, The Torch of Liberty, was sent down. His sources claimed that the nazis were in the final steps of a plan called “Project: Ragnarok”. Three members of the British Paranormal Society were also assigned to the case, consisting of Professor Malcom Frost, Professor “Broom” Bruttenholm, and top medium Lady Cynthia. Lady Cynthia too confirmed that something was about to occur in the abandoned church they were directed to, being told so by psychic visions…_

“Well, “Broom”? Your reputation got us here, but so far all we’re doing is freezing our dainty little butts off.” Sgt. Whitman stated, frustrated.

“Sergeant, I have spent the last nine years studying this place, trying to discover what happened here long ago that was so horrible it erased all willingness of the locals to even discuss the matter.” Bruttenholm replied. “When Lady Cynthia told me the disturbance she had sensed in the ether was centered here…”

“No, wait.” Lady Cynthia interrupts. “There is… another… a second center.”

_How the Nazis went about their plan and where they were, and why the soldiers were at the church and not where the nazis were, is something only the government and the BPRD know for sure. But it was at that moment that everything went to hell…_

_Quite literally._

“We are not alone here. There are troubled spirits. Holy spirits. A priest. A nun. Their shades are with us.” She pauses before continuing. “They have… a message. They say… They say… something is coming.”

“What the…” Was all The Torch of Liberty could say.

“Cynthia…” Bruttenholm muttered in shock. Suddenly, the ground began to shine with a fierce intensity. Broom, sensing danger, threw himself at Lady Cynthia. “Your ladyship!!! GET DOWN!!”

_The ground in front of them erupted, lit with the fires of hell… when that fire subsided, in its place sat a child, red skinned and wielding an indestructible stone right hand._

“Shoot it! Kill it! It’s a demon come from hell to destroy us all!” Frost shouted.

The Torch of Liberty wasn’t so afraid. “It… doesn’t look too dangerous to me, Professor.”

“It looks… like a little boy!”

_And it was there that Professor Broom gave him his name._

“Hellboy…”

_1945, one year after the Hellboy Incident and after Broom and the army took the child in, Professor Bruttenholm would establish the BPRD… the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense. Its mission was to travel across the world, protecting humanity from the paranormal and supernatural._

_Years later, on August 6, 1952, Hellboy was granted honorary human status by the United Nations, after foiling a plot by Nazi remnants in Brazil involving mind controlled zombies and cybernetic monkeys. Ever since, Hellboy has been known all around as the world’s greatest Paranormal Agent…_

* * *

“And that’s Hellboy! The supernatural fighting paranormal agent ready to deliver evil a brutal right hook!” Luz finishes.

Her audience isn’t so amazed. She moves forward to show several pictures of me on her phone. There’s the photo the army took when they first found me, the picture from my first mission in 1952 with the burning nazi flag behind me, several newspaper articles, comic books, movie posters… guess the kid really is a huge fan.

“So… he’s a big red hellhound puppy the humans trained to attack his own kind?” Eda said, giving me an unimpressed look.

“Careful. I bite.” Still, I always kinda forget how much information we actually gave away to the public. Oddly, the professor really pushed for the transparency. Thought that keeping everyone aware of the problem would convince us to stick together. Honestly, I agree, but I can’t stand the publicity. Luckily, we’ve done a pretty good job of making it clear how people shouldn’t interfere in cases. We’re not celebrities, we’re agents. Gotta do my job unhindered. 

“Oh come on, Eda. I know you two got off a bit rough, but it turns out everybody just thought I was in danger!”

“Still think you are.” Both the witch and I say. We raise an eyebrow at each other. 

“…Er, the point is, turns out we’re all friends here! We have so much in common! Like how we don’t want me to die!”

“Like I would be friends with someone like him. You go around hunting your own people and expect me to be all chummy now?”

Time to nip that bud. “The BPRD acts on cases where humanity is directly threatened or attacked by the supernatural. We don’t go frolicking around demon realms for giggles. Poking big monsters with a stick isn’t our style. It’s when they go around stomping on people that we take issue with.”

“Sure.” The witch barely listens, scrolling through Luz’s phone. 

The little skull headed thing watches over her shoulder. “Ugh, I think I’m with you, Eda. “BPRD’s finest agent punches out horned devil in Brisbane”? And you call yourself a demon…”

“I don’t, actually. Guess you weren’t listening.” The thing squints at me, trying to intimidate me. 

“Hold on a second… “BPRD takes down occult group in Appa…lack-een Mountains”?” The witch snorts. “That’s cute.”

I don’t take kindly to that remark. Those cultists terrorized the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians trying to control spirits called “Thunderers”. “How exactly is that cute?”

“Oh please. Humans can’t do magic. It’s common knowledge.” She says with that smug grin of hers.

My turn to chuckle. “Who told you that load of crap?”

“Oh no no no, don’t start with me. The human world has no magic to speak of. Everyone knows that. Sure, you’ve fought magical creatures, but they all have the organs or affinities to use magic from their own bodies. Humans don’t really have anything.”

I look at the kid. “You did tell her, right?”

Luz shrugs. “I tried, but she kept laughing it off.”

“Figures. Considering a bartender told me this place has been cut off from the human world, guess that myth caught fire quickly.”

The witch waves a key around. “Perhaps everyone else. But if you didn’t notice, I’ve got a way to the human world.”

“And have you done anything else besides stealing people’s stuff?”

“Of course. I went to that place called “Vee-gas”. Apparently, there was supposed to be magic there. But it was all parlor tricks. I wasn’t impressed.” She suddenly looks aside fondly. “Though I did meet that handsome fella with good taste…”

“You have a human ex-boyfriend?” The skull headed dog asks.

“Ex-husband, actually.”

“In any case,” I say to get her attention. “Magic is all over the place on Earth. It’s just in hard to reach places. Physical… and metaphysical.”

She shrugs. “If you say so, red boy.” 

In one ear and out the other with this woman. I’d better stop wasting my time before I get a migraine. “Speaking of which… you’ve explained me to her.” I turn to Luz. “Now, time to explain all of this to me.”

“Careful, Luz. This could take hours.” She flashes a grin before relaxing on the sofa.

“Funny.”

Luz herself looks a little nervous. “Right, uh… where to start… well, it all started when I was waiting for the bus. I had, uh… thrown my Azura book in the garbage. When I went to go get it, it was gone, stolen by a small owl… this little guy.” She points to the same owl I encountered, who seems to be preening himself. He hoots when he realizes people are talking about him. “I chased him for my book into an abandoned shack, and before I knew it, I found myself on the Boiling Isles!”

Alright, matches up so far. “I’m assuming you met this character about then?” I gesture to our classy host. 

“Yeah. I, uh… um…” She suddenly clams up. 

“…Kid?”

“Ok, so… Eda might have… kidnapped me a little. At first.” 

I shoot a glare at said witch. She doesn’t seem to be fazed. “Oh, don’t give me that look. I just needed her for a favor, is all. She was completely safe, uhh… 90 percent of the time.”  
“Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel better.” As if I didn’t have enough reasons to be pissed off with this woman. “What did she have you do, exactly?”

“Oh, uh… you know. Just an errand.”

“Ah, an errand. And would that errand be attacking a prison to obtain some item from behind a barrier?”

She gives me that “caught with her hand in a cookie jar” look. “…Yes.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “So If you really were… “kidnapped a little”, then how exactly did you decide to stay on your own?”

“Uh, well… after that little adventure, Eda held her word and let me go home. But…” She starts rubbing her arm all guilty like. “…I really didn’t want to go to the summer camp mom had sent me to. So, I stayed. And I asked Eda to teach me magic.” She starts to wave her arms in a panic. “B-but it’s fine, though! With Eda’s portal I can go back whenever I want. So, I just stay here for the summer, and then go back home after! My mom won’t even know I’m gone!”

“Except…”

Her face gets even more nervous. “E-e-except?”

“There’s a problem with this scenario, Luz. Why exactly would I be here looking for you?”

She doesn’t answer me. She’s actually slightly shaking. I know she’s not naïve enough to not figure it out. From the looks of it, she’s knows, she’s probably just dreading the severity of the answer.  
Well… might be best to rip this band aid off quickly. “Luz, what do you suppose happened when your mom signed you up for that camp?”

This time she opens up her mouth, but it seems she can’t find an answer. 

“…Luz. You were registered in their computers. When you didn’t show up, they called your mother.” The bomb drops. Her eyes widen in horror. “She’s been worrying herself day and night, thinking you’d been kidnapped or… worse.”

Luz looks a little sick to her stomach. “I… No… what?”

Oh boy. That bomb dropped really hard. “Why don’t you sit down kid?”

She follows my advice, taking the nearest seat she can find. It almost seems like her legs give out from under her. I myself pull up a chair next to her.

“Luz… what did you think was gonna happen when you didn’t show up? That they would just pretend you were there and try to trick your mom?”

“I… I thought it would just be like a roll call sheet. Like in school. And that they would, you know…”

“Mark you absent and do nothing else about it?”

“You know, when you say it out loud, it sounds… pretty stupid.”

I sigh. I speak to her gently. She didn’t mean to do anything wrong… but she did, and she needs to be aware of it. “Kid… you know how a lot of my adventures go, right? They aren’t always happy endings. A lot of people go looking into the dark… and they don’t come back out. And the ones who do, come out different. This could’ve ended badly.”

“I’m… I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. But you need to know how reckless this choice was. Trust me, I’ve made plenty of reckless choices of my own. All of em came with consequences. And all of ‘em hurt, one way or another.”  
“…I… I didn’t mean to hurt her.”

“I know you didn’t.” I don’t say anything beyond that. I mean, I don’t know if I’m already overstepping some bounds here, since I’m not her parent. 

A patch of silence. Her face is reading all kinds of distress. “Back home… I… I’m a weirdo. I stand out in all the wrong ways. Always have… anything I tried to do to be noticed, I just prove how much of a screw up I am.” Now, I’m no fool. I know that high schools and even middle school can cause self-esteem issues in kids. But for her to think she was always a screw up? There’s something deeper here. “When I read about Azura and my other books and comics, it always feels so much better to lose myself in those fantasies. The idea that I’m meant for something greater, that my weirdness is actually something special just feels… comforting. So, I felt like this was my last chance to be special before… before I had to give up on all that stuff.”

“But I didn’t mean to hurt my mami. Honest. I didn’t do this to get back at her, or because I thought she was being unfair. I know how much she loves me and just wants the best for me. She works so hard for me to have a good life… she’s always been there for me.” She pulls a book out of her bag. “But… after the incidents at school, she’s been pushing me to leave my hobbies. She wants me to start showing restraint, reach out, socialize more. I just wanted one chance to live my fantasies before I gave them up. I thought it wouldn’t hurt my mom as long as I pretended I went to camp and started doing those things after summer. But I guess it was just a confirmation that I’m a screw up to everyone… all she’s done for me, and I go and hurt her.” Her eyes well with tears.

I can’t help but remember one moment from the start of this case. _“Please, I'll do anything to have my daughter back. My parents disowned me for getting pregnant out of wedlock, my cabron of a husband left us when she was young, I-I just… she's all I have left. I'll give my soul, even-”_

“It’s okay.” She looks up at me. “You made a mistake. And you’re gonna have to deal with the consequences of it. But she ain’t gonna love you any less. I’ve gotten to know your mom this last week, so trust me on this. Now, I won’t lie. She’ll probably be hurt. And she’ll probably be upset with you. And that’s not gonna be fun. But you’ll get through this. And maybe… you two can talk about this thing once everything cools down.”

I’m not sure if I convinced her. She kinda looks away, trying to rub off her tears. That’s about when snaggletooth pipes up.

“Luz… how about you go with the whole “me kidnapping you” story?” She suggests.

“Wha-?!”

“Hang on, hear me out. Your mom means a lot to you, so why not pin the blame on me? That way, you won’t have to end up hurting her with the truth.” That’s surprising to me. That she’d stick her neck out for the kid… then again, she did send me through several buildings trying to protect her. Still, I’d rather not teach the kid she can lie her way out of her own mistakes. 

“But… I can’t just throw you under the bus like that.”

“I don’t know what a bus is, but don’t worry about it. I’ve got plenty of crimes pinned on me, what’s one more?”

Luz looks like she’s thinking on that. I’m about to throw my two cents in, when she gives me the second surprise of the day. “No. Hellboy is right. I owe it to my mom to tell her the truth. I need to own up to my mistake.” She stands up and looks at her straight on. “Besides, if she thinks that you’re to blame… I might not ever get the chance to see you again.” The witch looks stunned. Guess she wasn’t expecting that answer. “If I tell her what happened, that it was my fault, I think there might be a better chance I could come back. So I can still see you, King, Willow and Gus.” Willow and Gus? 

Don’t really have the chance to think on that. The Owl Lady finally gives a sort of respectful smile. “Okay, kid. If that’s what you want.”

Luz nods at her. The dog… King thing scuttles up to her. “So… you’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. But I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” She picks him up and pulls him into a hug. “My widdle cutie pie.” Is that bone marrow starting to glow on his face? Genuine question. Anyway, she walks back up to me. “I’ll go get my stuff, Hellboy.”

As she strolls upstairs, the witch watches her go off. She must’ve forgotten I was here, because I can hear her sigh. She widens her eyes when she remembers who else is here. “What’re you staring at?! Don’t you have something to pack too?!” I don’t get into banter with her this time. I just stroll outside and decide to have a smoke. “Yeah, that’s right. Mind your own business.”

I don’t know about her staying or coming back here. But it is a little surprising that she and the witch have made an impression on each other. You know, one that isn’t some old hag preying on an innocent kid. Still, I don’t know how much of that is genuine on the witch’s part. She seemed pretty defensive about it. But I haven’t really run into a good witch before. I’m not really sure what to believe.

At the least, it gives me something to think about as I stare out across the purple sea.

* * *

**No…**

**You are not leaving yet, Hellboy. And neither is she…**

* * *

It doesn’t take long for Luz to pack up. She’s still sullen about the whole situation, and from her point of view, I’d guess I’d be too.

The witch lady pulls out a key of her hair and presses an eye on it. Before I know it, a door with the same eye pops out of the ground. The same one from the glyph. I still haven’t pinned down where I saw that eye.

“Oh, Eda!” Luz suddenly shouts. “If you see Willow and Gus…”

“Don’t worry, Luz.” She rustles her hair. “I’ll tell them what went down.”

She smiles. “Thank you.”

“Who’re Willow and Gus?” I’m curious enough to ask out loud this time.

“Oh, yeah… they’re two friends of mine here on the Boiling Isles. I lost them at the magic fair, and they might be pretty worried about what might’ve happened to me.”

Friends? Well… I’ll be damned. I don’t mean that as a comment on the kid, more that she actually did what her mother was hoping she’d do. I can’t just let her stay for that alone unfortunately. But it might be something to mention to Camilia.

“So, just open up and go through, and we’ll end up at the shack?”

“Yes, Captain Obvious. I’m glad, too. Can’t get rid of you soon enough. Go chase some leprechauns or something.”

“And you go back to selling garbage. Hope that’s fulfilling.”

“It’s only one of my jobs thank you very much. My much more lucrative business is selling people proper potions and elixirs.”

“Right. And I’m sure you don’t jack up the prices or anything.”

She seems genuinely confused. “What’s your point?”

Right. We’re done here. “Why don’t you step on through, kid. I’ll be right behind you.” 

She nods, then wraps up her two… housemates in a hug. “Goodbye, Eda. Goodbye, King.” She opens the door and moves through the portal. 

But I got one last message. “Look… I don’t like you all that much and you don’t like me. But if you want to see the kid come back, just don’t give us a reason to think you’re out for her soul or anything. Alright?”

She doesn’t say anything to me. She doesn’t even really change expression. Probably best to leave now before we start going at each other agai-

“Uh, Eda?” We’re interrupted by a… very familiar voice. “Did I go through this thing wrong?”

We watch as Luz steps out from behind the portal. Not through it, behind it. She looks as confused as I feel. I raise an eyebrow at the witch again.

She notices. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, don’t look at me like that!”

“What’re you up to?”

“I didn’t do anything! Look, it was probably just still activating. Luz, go back through from that side. It should be done by now.” Luz nods warily and steps through. 

Only to run into us, back where she started. The Owl Lady can already predict what I’m about to ask. “Uh uh. I’m not doing this. If I was really trying to keep Luz here, why wouldn’t I just push you through the portal first? Besides, I can’t control who goes through the portal and who doesn’t. The magic needed to even begin to think about doing that outscales mine by tenfold.”

“Then why can’t she go through?”

“I don’t know!”

The little guy, King, jumps on Eda’s shoulder. “Did you try turning it off and on again?”

“You’re not helping.”

Luz intervenes before things get heated. “Hold on! …Hellboy, there are BPRD agents on the other side, right? Why not just stick your head or arm through and tell them to come over? Maybe they might figure something out.”

“Not a bad idea. But you,” I point at the Owl Lady. “Better not take an interest in drawing circles in the air.”

She puts her arms up defensively, giving me a flat look. 

I didn’t really need this case getting more complicated. But thankfully, it seems manageable. Kate will get a kick out of the stuff I’ve seen, though. Better stick my head out.  
…  
You know, last time I checked, the abandoned shack didn’t have a damn thing in it. But right now, I’m looking at some familiar décor from a certain witch’s house. I pull my head back and look at my three onlookers. I put my arm through, and stick out to the side, showing them that I seem to have run into a similar problem. 

“Okay, you and I both know I wouldn’t want this.” The Owl Lady says. And she’s got a point.

Yeah. I’m thinking things just got a lot more complicated.

“Aw, crap…”

* * *

It’s been about 7 hours since Hellboy disappeared this morning. Along with most of the front of the cabin. Liz and I hadn’t been there, but from what Kate says, it happened very suddenly. One moment, everyone had their backs turned, scrambling to take advantage of the latest breakthrough. The next, a flash of light engulfed the front door and most of the porch, and Hellboy was gone.

We rushed back as fast as we could. We didn’t really have time to explain to Miss Noceda, but we informed her there might be a turnaround in the case. By the time we had got there, the agents were already trying to scan the area, drawing a weird glyph of some kind.

Kate also informed us of a small owl who stole most of our evidence. It might’ve been working for whatever kidnapped the young girl. 

Despite all of that, we were actually less worried than we were before. Hellboy disappearing is nothing new, and if anything, it tends to be good news. Usually, Hellboy ends up exactly where he needs to be. At that point, missions tend to wrap up quickly. 

But we hadn’t relaxed entirely. There was still a live hostage in this case. We still didn’t know her status, other than the fact that she wasn’t dead. And while Hellboy often disappeared to where the case was occurring, we knew it was still best to continue our own efforts as well. Unfortunately, we still seemed to be having trouble.

“That’s the last book.” I say, dropping it on the table. “Even with the image of this glyph, I found little of anything useful.”

“Great. So, we really haven’t moved forward whatsoever.” Liz groans as she also puts her last book down. “Hopefully, Hellboy is having more luck than we are.”

“That he probably is. Though he’s probably already gotten into a fight as well.”

“Twenty bucks says four.” Liz states, smiling at that. Some other agents nearby join in.

“Nah, in this time, he’d be at five. Thirty bucks.”

“I’ll take some of that action. Forty for Three!”

“Sixty bucks on six!”

“Benjamin Franklin says seven! One for each hour gone!”

Liz turns back to me. “What about you, Abe?”

“…Two.”

“Only two? Can’t say that’s a usual number for him.”

I shrug. “I’ve got a hunch.” The bet is really only to break tension anyways.

“Well, let’s hope your hunches are more accurate than my machines.” Kate walks by, frustrated. “We’ve got a far better understanding than before, but we’re still no closer to cracking this egg. And Russell’s visions are still pretty vague.” She gestures to the psychic over in front of the house.

“I see… a moonlit tree… destroying the darkness…”

“That doesn’t even sound remotely relevant…” Kate mutters. “Unless something happens in the next five minutes, we might as well be blind until Hellboy comes back.”

“Professor Corrigan! You may want to see this!”

The few of us run to the voice. A lone agent waits in front of the broken cabin. “Over here, ma’am. It just showed up.”

A door shaped beam of light was shining where the cabin’s door used to be. None of us had any doubt as to what it could be.

“Hmm. Well, if it’s really that easy, I guess I should say it more often. Abe, Liz?”

We nod, gearing up as fast as we can. We’re only scouting for now, so light ammo and armor is what we pack. Can’t be too sure what might be on the other side of this portal. While we readied ourselves, Kate had much of the debris swept away, and a ramp placed in front of the doorway.

“If you find Hellboy, be sure to ask him how he managed to get himself into this one.” Kate says jokingly. 

“I’m sure it’ll be as inconvenient as it is funny.” I reply. After all, that tends to be the case most of the time.

I feel Liz nudge me in the shoulder. “You should also get your wallet ready. I’ve got a good feeling about this bet.”

“If you say so.”

Kate’s face switches to her usual serious mode. “Joking aside, priority number one is the girl. You take her and bring her back ASAP. We can concern ourselves with our new friends after.”  
“Hellboy can probably keep them bus-”

“Ah hah! I knew this thing wasn’t broken… sort of.” A sudden voice brings us out of our planning. A middle aged looking woman with a sharp gold tooth is poking out from the portal. “Still don’t know why it isn’t letting that big red buffoon through… maybe the connection’s bad. Man, this place is more of a dump than I remember. Was it always this… rubbly?” It’s about that point she takes notice of us. Her eyes dart around, before she assumes a nonchalant look. “How’s it hanging.”

She gets her answer quickly, as I swiftly raise my pistol to her face. “Not much, ma’am. You see, we’re with the BPRD. We were wondering if you could tell us about this “big red buffoon” of yours.”

She groans. “Oh, peachy.”

* * *

“Hey, trenchcoat.” The Owl Lady says as she steps out from the portal. “These friends of yours?”

It’s only then that we notice the pistol to her head… attached to a very fishy hand. As she backs up, I can see Abe stepping through.

“Well, well. Cavalry’s arrived right when all the fun’s ended.” I say with a smirk. Abe matches that with a smile of his own.

“Ah, there you are, Hellboy. Kate’s dying to know how it happened to you this time.”

“Hmph. She’ll have to coax it out of me.”

“Guess it must be pretty embarrassing then.” Liz comments, also stepping through the portal. 

“Oh, for the love of- I’m not hosting a house party all of the sudden!” The Owl Lady complains. Abe keeps his gun to her. 

“Yeah, don’t bother, Abe. My Good Samaritan did little more than piss her off. Gave her a few good cracks in her skull though. She’s pretty harmless now.” 

She scoffs. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

I draw their attention to a certain girl. “’Sides, we found who we were looking for.” Said girl was hyperventilating. The two seem a little worried about that. “Breath, kid. Just let it out.”

“Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh! You’re Abe Sapien and Liz Sherman! Oh, first I get to meet Hellboy, and then the Fish Fighter and the Cool Flame themselves!”

“Fish Fighter?”

“The Cool Flame?” 

Both seem more confused than anything at those names. “I think those were your monikers in the comics.” I explain. “Turns out she’s a big fan of the BPRD.”

“The biggest!” She says with glee and a wide smile.

“Hold on, if she’s a big fan, how come her mother only sort of knew of our existence?” Liz asks a fair question.

“Yeah, mom never really focused on your agency when reading the news. Y’all don’t make the front page or main story anymore. Everybody’s gotten so used to the supernatural existing. I mean, I do think she’s seen your agency come up, but it’s all politics and finance. I have told her about you guys a few times, but even then, I think she might’ve thought that Abe and Hellboy were just fictional comic characters.” Luz adds.

“This is what happens when you don’t pose for photos.” Abe does a little tisk tisk motion with his fingers.

Hellboy shrugs. “Ah, who cares. We get the job done whether people know us or not.” 

“So, mission finished then? The girl’s right here, the threat’s neutralized…” Liz asks me.

“Eh, threat’s a strong word.” I correct.

“If you’re gonna talk smack about me, do it to my face!” Our lovely host shouts.

“Anyway… yeah, I’d like to say the job’s done. But we’ve got a problem. Both the kid and I can’t step through that portal. And though she pisses me off, I know it’s not the witch.” 

Liz sighs. “And there’s the twist.”

“Yeah. So, I’m gonna need Kate to come over and start researching this thing pronto.”

“I’m not feeding them.” The witch states.

“Didn’t want your cooking anyway.”

“So, I guess this means I’m not going home just yet.” Luz says, and I hear the relief in her voice.

She probably shouldn’t be so relaxed. “Kid… you realize this just means we’re bringing her to you, right?”

That relief look on her face suddenly turns into one of terror. Guess she wasn’t prepared as she thought.

“Oh, farts.”

* * *

I run as fast as my legs will take me. I was just about to head to work when I had gotten the call from the BPRD.

They found her. They found her, and she’s ok. My Luz is ok!

It fills me to the brim with happiness to hear those words. I don’t even bother calling my boss, I just run for the cabin, desperate to see my little girl.

The first one I see is Professor Corrigan. She is on a call with someone. Her superiors from what I can tell.

“No, no. Look, other agents can handle those cases, Manning. Yes, but considering the circumstances, I’d rather have Abe and Liz still here… Manning. Manning, we’ll talk about this later.” She hands up rather abruptly. “Ms. Noceda! Sorry to call you on short notice, but I’m sure you’re glad to hear the news.”

“Yes! Is she here? I don’t see her…”

“Wait, did they not…? Ugh, I’m going to have words with that agent… Listen, your daughter’s fine. She’s not hurt. But there is still one complication.”

“A… a complication?”

“Look, why don’t you come with me? I’m sure you’ve been all too eager to see her.”

She takes me up to the cabin, which has… oddly lost some vital parts. I’m stunned to see a glowing light coming from the doorway. It’s almost blinding…

“Don’t worry, it’s safe. Just step right on through.”

I’m a little nervous. But I trust Professor Corrigan. With my breath held, I take a step forward.

It takes a while for my eyes to adjust. As my vision slowly comes back, I notice my surroundings. Some kind of… home? It is filled with odd looking liquids and terrifying imagery.  
However, I also notice the many BPRD agents filling the room. Including… “Hellboy!”

“Hey there, Ms. Noceda.”

“Please, I came to find Luz, but Professor Corrigan said there was a… complication? I do not understand.”

“I’ll tell you in a second. I think you’ve been waiting long enough.” 

As he moves out of the way, I find my daughter standing there. To see her again after so many days of fearing the worst… I’m overcome with joy.

“¡Mija!” I fling myself at her, wrapping her in my arms. I hold tight, hoping that she’ll never be taken from me again. When she hugs me back, I know she’s really here, that this isn’t a dream. “¡Estoy tan feliz de verte sana y salva! ¡Pensé que nunca te volvería a ver! ¡Oh, mi Lucecita! ¿Estás herida? ¿Esos monstruos te hicieron algo?" 

"Estoy bien, mami. Yo también estoy feliz de verte. Por favor suéltame un poco, me estás aplastando..."

I release her. The tears are flowing down my eyes. “Oh, thank you, Hellboy. I owe you so much.”

“Nah, I’m just paying you back for telling me about that neat chimichurri place.”

Always so modest… because of him, I can finally take my daughter home. “Come on, Luz. I don’t want to spend another minute in this place…”

“Uh…”

Luz’s unsure response confuses me. Doesn’t she want to go home? “Ahem.” I hear Hellboy clear his throat. “That’s… where the complication comes in. See that portal thing?” He points to the wall of light I came through. “We’re experiencing technical difficulties. Neither me nor the kid can go through it for some reason.”

My feelings of joy begin to leave me. I just found her… and yet I can’t take her home? “I… w-what? But…”

“Hold on now. Breathe, Ms. Noceda.” He kneels, speaking directly to me. “We don’t leave a job half done. We’re still with you every step of the way. Your daughter’s safe and sound. All we need to do is keep an eye on her and figure out what’s wrong with the door. We’re almost there.”

“…You’re right. Gracias, Hellboy. I just wish this ordeal in its entirety could be over already.”

“I know. Unfortunately… there is one more thing. Something I believe your daughter needs to tell you herself.”

My daughter? Did something happen to her after all? “What does he mean, mija?”

“Uh… well… it’s a… a funny story. You know, I wouldn’t want to put stress on you or anything.”

“Kid, the longer you wait to pull that pin, the more you’re not gonna wanna do it.”

Luz sighs at Hellboy’s words, and looks at me with extreme guilt. Is this why she looked so nervous? What could have her feeling so ashamed? 

“Mami… I have a confession to make.”

* * *

"¡INCONCEBIBLE! ¡DÍAS ENTEROS PENSANDO QUE TE HABÍA TRAGADO LA TIERRA, CREYENDO QUE TE HABÍA PASADO LO PEOR! ¡ME MENTISTE EN LA CARA Y ELEGISTE QUEDARTE EN UN LUGAR PELIGROSO CON GENTE PELIGROSA! ¡CON COMPLETOS DESCONOCIDOS! ¡¿TIENES ALGUNA IDEA DE LO QUE PODRÍA HABERTE PASADO?! ¡VÁLGAME DIOS, QUE ESTOY PENSADO SI NO DEBERÍA CASTIGARTE POR EL RESTO DE TU VIDA!"

Oof. This is brutal. Poor Luz is cringing, looking like a sad puppy dog. I’d be too if I was receiving a verbal lashing like that. Still… it’s going a lot better than I was expecting. She kinda scared me for a moment there. After Luz said everything she kinda just sat there quietly, unmoving. Then this happened.

“Uh… what is she saying?” King questions me. 

“Tough parental love.”

“Uh… okay?”

“I just cannot believe you, Luz!” Cam says, going back to English. “Making such a reckless decision! Putting the fear of God into your mother’s heart! Why would you do such a thing?!” Luz was quiet for a moment, but she realized her mother indeed wanted an answer. 

“I… wanted to learn magic for this summer instead of going to Reality Check… before I had to start giving up on all of my hobbies.”

Camilia looks taken aback at first. However, she regains composure. “So you decided to stay with someone who kidnapped you-”

“O-only a little-”

“Kidnapped you,” Camilia emphasizes with a glare, and Luz realizes she shouldn’t be talking right now. “You decide to stay with her just because she seemed somewhat nice? On top of that, you had no idea what kind of cost or repercussions this magic would have, and yet you still chose to learn it?!” Camilia kept going. “Not to mention, the fact you chose to stay on an island with creatures that have indeed said they want to eat you!”

“Well… I…” 

Camilia takes a deep breath. “You have a room here?” Luz nods. She turns to me. “And there is nothing in it that will harm her, yes?” I nod too. With that confirmation, she turns back to her daughter. “This is what will happen. You will go to your room and stay there until these good men and women find out how to get you home. You will not step foot outside this house, you will not use any magic, and you will not talk to that woman." She says while pointing to the Owl Lady. 

“But she’s not-”

“This is not up for discussion, Luz! I will not have you near that woman, or anything having to do with this place! As of this moment, you're grounded.” She pauses a moment. “When we get home, I will hear nothing more about these Boiling Isles. And then you and I are going to have a long talk about your hobbies.” She finishes.

Luz looks completely defeated, sulking up to her temporary room. When she disappears upstairs, I see Camilia take off her glasses and rub her face.

“Geez, a little harsh on the kid there, don’t ya think, human?” 

Oh, bad timing, Owl Lady. With that one comment, I can see the anger in Camilia reignite.

“¡TU CALLATE! ¡¿Cómo te atreves a actuar tan tranquila después de haber chantajeado a mi hija?! ¡Debería retorcerte el cuello por ponerla en peligro!”

“Huh?” The Owl Lady said, not understanding.

“I said, you will not address me so casually after kidnapping and extorting my daughter in the first place!”

She rolls her eyes. “Like I told big red over there, she was under my protection. She-”

“ENOUGH!” Camilia aggressively advances on the witch, catching her off guard. “I will not sit here and let you feed me excuses for why you kept my daughter hostage! You kidnapped my daughter! Simple as that! And if you dare act as if that is no big deal, I will show you just how angry that makes me!”

“Well, I-”

Camilia keeps pressing forward, causing the witch to start backing up. “Secondly, you will not call me human, or Cam, or Camilia! To you, it is Ms. Noceda! Do you understand?!”

“U-uh…” Her casual demeanor’s been completely snuffed out.

“I said, do you understand?!”

“Y-yes, Miss Noceda.” Even I’m not prepared when Camilia takes her by the collar of her dress, pulling her down to eye level.

“Finally, and most importantly, you will never set foot near my daughter again! You will not talk to her or send messages to her! If you even think of looking at my daughter again, I will use your head as my next Halloween decoration! Am I clear?!

“B-but-”

“I said, am I clear?!”

“Yes!”

“Yes, what?!”

“Yes, Miss Noceda!”

She finally releases the Owl Lady, who ends up sitting there, frozen. 

The little guy, King, seems shocked. “Wha… but… how did she…” He has trouble finding the words. “I’ve never seen anyone frighten Eda like that!”

Abe is the one to reply to him. “I believe the saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned”. Just so you know.” 

“Simply put, don’t mess with moms.” I add. 

Camilia walks toward us, her rant done. King jumps in surprise and balls up, covering his head. “Please don’t hurt me!”

She ignores him for now. I can see she’s stressed again, massaging the bridge of her nose. Maybe it’s time for everyone to take a breather. “Ms. Noceda. Why don’t you sit down for a while? I’ll get one of the agents to bring you something to calm your nerves.”

“…Y-yes. Perhaps I should.”

Things sorta quiet down at that point. But it ain’t a relaxing quiet. I’m not sure where Luz and Camilia go from here. Hopefully, they can work things out.

* * *

At some point I find myself outside again, wanting another smoke. A little strange that I have yet to light it. My mind’s too occupied.

The door to the shack opens, and out steps the Owl Lady. She’s got this disgruntled look on her face, like somebody’s broken her window. To be fair, I suppose I’d be unhappy too if I had a bunch of unwanted houseguests. 

“Nice weather we’re having.”

She gives me a scowl. “You’re a funny guy. Your agents said I was making Ms. Noceda in there “uncomfortable”. So, now I’m not allowed in my own home. Go figure…”

“Look, I know you feel inconvenienced and all, but that woman in there has been worrying all week about her daughter being kidnapped. And you did do that, no matter how much you sugarcoat it. So you’re just gonna have to take it for now.”

“Alright, alright, I get it. Maybe I should’ve checked with the kid’s mom before I got that favor from her. And taking her in as my apprentice. Responsibility and all that.”

“I think not using her for a prison break at all would be ideal.” Still, if she she needed it that bad… makes me curious. “What exactly were you looking for in there anyway?”

“Oh, we just needed King’s Burger Queen crown.”

“…Come again?”

“His crown. That little headpiece meant a lot to King. Poor guy felt lost without it.”

“You kept a young girl from going home because you wanted a dime a dozen paper crown? One you could get from the trash of any Burger Queen in the human realm?”

“If it meant that much to King, then it meant that much to me. But hey, we lost it anyway when the warden showed up. Crushed it and then tried to make me date him.”

“Hold on… if you only went in there for a crown, what the hell was the prison break I heard about?”

“Oh, that was Luz. I tried to send her home, since she had already helped us, but the rascal rounded up some prisoners and fought off the warden.”

“You’re telling me the kid set up the prison break herself?”

“I was surprised too. The warden is a mean dude. I sent her home first chance I could. But she apparently found a kinship with those prisoners.”

“That’s… not encouraging.”

“What? Oh, you’re under the impression the Conformatorium is a legit prison. No, it’s just where the Emperor sends the riff raff who don’t ‘conform’. It’s in the name. While he uses it mostly for renegade witches, he turns a blind eye to anyone Warden Wrath sees as freaks. The people holed up in there barely did anything wrong. Wrath just doesn’t like weirdos in his town.”

“Weirdos? How exactly would you classify weirdos in a town like this?”

“Well, the ones Luz freed were a girl who wrote fanfiction of romance between foods, a guy who ate his own eyeballs, and a conspiracy theorist. We couldn’t do much for the others, but they pretty much went along those lines.”

Alright. I’ll admit. Being locked up just for that is bullcrap. “Why does the Emperor ignore this?”

“Because he’s an authoritarian who’s tricked everyone into believing he’s a savior. Really he just wants the Boiling Isles to work exactly how he thinks it should be. Anyone who doesn’t fall in line, especially witches that use wild magic like me, pay the price.”

“If what you’re saying is true, why take the girl under your wing? Doesn’t that put her in more danger?”

“Not under my watch. I take care of my own. If she wants to learn the proper ways of Boiling Isles magic, then I’m sure as hell not gonna let that guy rain on her parade. Course that didn’t stop her from getting interested in Hexside, but I’ll make sure she knows how much of a scam that is.”

…Man, I can’t pin this woman down. She’s all over the place. She seems to care for the kid and has integrity… sorta, but she’s also a con artist criminal. At least I’ve got a possible suspect for this whole portal thing. If what Owl Lady here says is true, anyway. 

I don’t have time to finish my conversation with her. Two kids suddenly come running into the clearing. Both have pointed ears and are wearing a similar kind of uniform. “Eda!” The one with green hair shouts.

“Yo, pintsizes. Guessing you’re here for Luz?”

“Yeah, she disappeared before all the craziness started!” The shorter one confirms. “Is she alright?”

“And who is this guy?” Glasses asks. 

“Take it easy, kids. Luz is fine. I just had to take her home for… reasons.” She gestures to me. “Ask this guy.”

The two look at me, confused. At that point, it clicks in me who these two are. “You Willow and Gus?” They nod. “Luz is inside, but… you might not be allowed to see her. Her mom is here and ain’t really happy with her right now. She’s grounded at the moment.”

Gus, I’m assuming, gasps. “She buried her?!”

“…No. She’s just confined to her room.”

“Oh.”

Willow steps forward. “Do you know when we could see her? We were so worried.”

The two eye me in anticipation. “Not sure. You’ll have to ask her mom.”

“Yeah, she’s inside. Go on in, you little twerps.” Before I can register, she opens the door, and the two scurry in. I give her a look. “What? They wanted to know.” 

I head inside to stop them. Not sure if Camilia really wants to be pestered with that right now. The little guy seems to be jumping the gun though. And also incredibly misinformed. He’s in front of Abe. “Hello Luz’s mom! Do you know when Luz won’t be imprisoned in her room anymore?”

“Uh…” 

“Why do you want to see my daughter?” The two kids’ attention is drawn to the actual mom in this room. She’s got this confused look on her face.

“Oh, sorry lady.” Gus apologizes. Abe looks more baffled than ever.

Willow speaks first. “We lost track of her at the magic fair before things went bonkers. We heard she got punished, though. Do you know when we’ll be able to see her?”

“And… you are…?"  
“Oh, sorry! I’m Willow and this is Gus. We’re Luz’s friends.”

“Well, Willow and Gus, I’m sorry to say…” She pauses in the middle of her sentence, a surprised look on her face. “…Did you say you were her friends?”

“Yep.”

“You betcha!”

Camilia’s getting curious now. “How… How do you know my daughter?”

“Well, it was the other day on my way to school that we met. We hit it off nicely. She pretended to be an abomination, I showed her around Hexside School… pretty fun day, all things considered. And thanks to her, I got moved into the Plant Track instead of the Abomination track!”

Gus speaks up. “And I got to learn about humans from the source! She even gave me a human nickname! My real one’s Augustus!”

“Yes… seems she really struck a chord in you two.” Camilia seems to smile again, if only briefly. 

“Yeah! Is she alright by the way? We still don’t know what happened to her.”

“Y-yes, my Luz is okay. I’m glad to see she has friends who care for her so much. Why don’t you two stay here for just a moment?” She gets up from her chair. “Hellboy, may I speak to you privately?”

“Sure.” We walk into a room while the agents continue their work. 

“Sorry for the sudden conversation.” She says after the door closes. “But I need your expert opinion on this.”

“Fire away.”

“So… I know what I said to her. That I wanted absolutely nothing to do with all… this, after we got home. But now… I find out she’s finally made friends. I always believed she could, if given the right push, but… I never expected it to happen in a place like this.” She sighs. “I… I don’t know what to do now. This place, it’s so dangerous. And yet Luz has friends here. Teens who don’t seem dangerous whatsoever. She’s connecting to people. Can I really take her away from something I wanted for her?”

She must be leading up to the paranormal. But even so, I’m not sure where exactly she’s going with this.

“How… dangerous did this place seem to you?”

“…It actually seemed pretty normal at first.” She cocks her head. “By that, I mean it’s as if I was walking in any other town. Just with strange looking demons. The only trouble I ran into was the witch. And even then, she thought she was protecting the girl from me.”

Her posture tenses up. “That doesn’t excuse her. She still took my daughter and kept her here like a hostage. I still don’t trust her.”

“And I understand that. Not faulting you there. But she does seem to care what happens to her. It was something I didn’t know about at first, and it’s sent my thoughts on the matter for a loop.”

“Perhaps.” She seems nervous now. “Did she… did she tell you any different why she decided to stay?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. She didn’t want to hurt you. She knows how much you love her. I think this place just really… connected to her. Especially with what you told us about her.”

“…She did seem pretty devastated to never come back.”

“She was hoping to convince you to let her come back and see these folks. She was ready to take her punishment otherwise. Sort of…” I remember a small detail. “It’s funny. Snaggletooth actually offered to be the fall gal. Said she would’ve taken the full blame, even if it wasn’t true. But your girl turned it down ‘cause it meant she’d be even less likely to see her.”

Camilia looks shocked but doesn’t say anything. 

I pause for a moment, wondering what next to say. “…What do you think is best for Luz?”

“I… I don’t know. All I know is that she made two friends. And that she really enjoys being here. A small part of my mind is suggesting that I actually let her stay here. But I don’t want to reward her for lying to me and running away and staying with strangers. And I most certainly don’t want her to get hurt.”

“…Maybe you need a little more context.” Camilia looks at me questioningly. “Get all sides of the story. See what’s happened to Luz so far. If you’ve got a bigger picture, you might figure out why she wants to stay here so much.”

“…Yes. Maybe it’ll clear my head a bit.” She sighs. “Even this ‘Eda’ character… Could you go get her for me?”

We exit the room. Willow and Gus seem to have taken an interest in the agents, poking around them and asking tons of questions. As Camilia asks them to sit down, I poke my head out of the house. “Hey. Owl Lady. Ms. Noceda wants to talk to you.” She only looks at me curiously before coming inside. When we head back in, it looks like Camilia even got King. 

As the Owl Lady sits down, she begins. “I want you all to tell me everything that Luz has done while she has been here. Leave no details out.”

* * *

I steel myself, as I stand outside the door of my daughter’s room. Considering everything I just learned, I believe I was right to be worried about this place. But perhaps I shouldn’t have been so harsh.  
But before I can decide anything, I need to know what happened from Luz’s perspective.

I quietly open the door. And what I see astonishes me. Several small lights are floating around the room, glowing with a shining brilliance. I can see Luz drawing on a piece of paper, before tapping it. The piece of paper is sucked into yet another ball of light. 

I make the mistake of gasping, which makes Luz jolt. She starts to panic. “Uh, mom! This… this isn’t… I was just-”

“Shh. It’s okay, sweetie. Never mind that now.” I sit down beside her on her sleeping bag. Her eyes are red. She’s clearly been crying. I pull her into a hug. “Lamento haberme enojado tanto, mija. Yo solo… estuve tantas noches preocupada pensado que te había perdido para siempre. Me afecto tanto saber que me habías mentido.”

“Lo se... perdón por ser una carga.” 

I pull away, looking her in the eyes. “Oh no, mija. You made a mistake. But you’re not a burden. You could never be such a thing to me. I would never see you that way.”

“I… I never meant to hurt anyone. I didn’t think this would hurt anyone at the time…”

“I know. But it did. You must learn to look before you leap, mija. Making decisions so rashly can affect more than just yourself.”

She nods, looking down in shame. “Si, mami. I understand. And I also understand if you want to leave this place.”

“…Luz…” I begin, and she looks to me, perhaps expecting more punishment. “While I was down there… cooling off... I happened to meet two friends of yours.”

Luz straigtens up. “You saw Willow and Gus? Are they okay?”

“Yes, yes, Lucecita. They’re fine. In fact, they came around asking about you. They told me how you met, and I just need to say… I’m proud of you, mija.” Luz is stunned by this. “I don’t condone you running away and staying here. But you finally have friends. I always knew you could connect to people if given a chance. And while I certainly didn’t expect that to happen in a place like this, I couldn’t be more happy for you.” I fix a tuft of her disheveled hair. “No matter what happens after this… I will be okay with you seeing them again.”

She smiles for the first time in a few hours, the grin growing wider in excitement. “You… you mean it? I can come back here and see all of them?”

“Now, hold on, Luz. Your friends are one thing. But this place and this… Owl Lady are another.” Her excitement fades away at that. “Now, after your friends arrived, I decided to do some… questioning. I asked your two friends, the cute little bone cat, and even this ‘Eda’ what happened during your stay here- with help from Hellboy of course. What I heard from them… varied. Like how you nearly got eaten by an octopus monster after accepting a quest from a man you didn’t know.”

“Uh…”

“Or how you were almost dissected because you pretended to be an… ‘abomination’.”

“Er…”

“Or that your mentor turned into a giant monster and tried to eat you after you had taken her important medication.”

“…Yeah…” Luz chuckles sheepishly. 

“You might’ve guessed, but this really didn’t help my view of this place. But…”

“But?”

“I also heard how you protected the Owl Lady and the cute fox-thing from that octopus. And how you’ve been incredibly diligent in doing her errands. I heard how you supported Willow’s interests and helped her stand up to her bully. And while I don’t want you thinking all prison riots are okay… you did free people wrongfully imprisoned for being different. I’m proud of you for those things too. But that doesn’t take away from the danger you’ve been in…” I scooch to face my daughter. “I’m not sure what to think of this place. But the fact is, until the BPRD can get you home, you are stuck here. For who knows how long. I am… open to letting you visit places on the island. However, I’m also considering still keeping you within this house the entire time, just to be safe. But before I can make any kind of decision, there’s still one thing I need to know. I want to know why you really decided to stay here.”

“Why… why I really decided?”

“Yes. I know you did this because you didn’t want to go to Reality Check, and because you knew I would start pushing you to move away from your hobbies after summer.” I place a hand on her shoulder. “But now I want to know why you’re so interested in all this that it would compel you to make those decisions. Why you want to live out these fantasies. Why you wanted to learn magic so much. Why you were so eager to be a ‘chosen one’.”

Luz shifts around, squirming at the question. I think I already know… but I need to know for sure. I take her hand in mind, to comfort her and let her know she can tell me anything. “I… I wanted to feel special. To stand out… but for something that I actually liked. …I wanted to feel like being ‘me’ meant something.” Her lips purse, as she tries to hold back tears. “I just wanted to believe that I wasn’t a mistake.”

Sometimes I wish I wasn’t right. She still hears the words from that night too well. I swear… if I ever see that man on my doorstep again, I will pay him back the pain our daughter has been through tenfold. “Luz… my sweet girl. You aren’t a mistake. Being yourself is not a mistake.” I pull her into another hug. “But… I know I didn’t help. I pushed you towards a place that didn’t speak to you. I made you feel that it was wrong to be yourself. Something I never wanted to do. I meant what I said in that phone call. I do want to talk about better ways to help you outside your comfort zone. I want what’s best for you, Lucecita, but I also want you to be happy.”

“But it wasn’t really just this Reality Check thing. I know I stick out like a sore thumb. Every time I be myself I just mess up and look like even more of a weirdo. I just thought this place was my real calling. The only place I could stand out in the right way.”

“Mija, no one is born special. No one has some destiny waiting for them in a scroll. We all come into our own through our own choices. It may take some of us longer than others, but with a little help, we can all find out what we want to live life for.”

Her face lightens up. “Heh… you know, that actually sounds a lot like what Eda said. She told me that if we waited around for someone to tell us we’re special, we’d die waiting. That we have to choose ourselves.”

“Si. She did mention that.” I’m… a little shocked. I was skeptical when she told me that she had said such a thing to my daughter, but it appears it was true. The Owl Lady said something to my daughter that resonated with her. This must be what Hellboy meant when his perceptions of things were shaken up. 

“…I know what I did was selfish and reckless. But I really think there might be something for me here.” She looks up at me with a hopeful expression. “Is there any way I can convince you to let me to stay?”  
I sigh. “I just don’t know, Luz. This place is very dangerous. And while she has surprised me, I still don’t trust that woman. I would need some way to know that she can take responsibility. To know that this place is… manageable.”

Luz thinks on this, furrowing her brow. “…What about a demo run?”

I look at her quizzically. “What do you mean?”

“Well… since I’m stuck here, maybe we could really give this island a test. Especially since Hellboy’s stuck here too. He could watch over me the next few days, and we can try out a thing or two on the island. And after all is said and done, he can tell you what happened so you can decide if this place is okay!”

It’s… an idea. But I’m reluctant to go along with this. ‘Testing’ like this doesn’t keep her safe, necessarily. Having Hellboy with her could help, but… “I’m not sure… I’ve already asked so much from Hellboy. And he is dealing with his own issues at the moment.” Then again, he’s a very kind man. “If he can’t do such a thing, Luz, then I’m afraid we may have to just go home. But if and only if he accepts, then I must lay down some ground rules.” She nods profusely. “One, you will not go anywhere on the island without Hellboy for the time being. Even with your friends. If he allows you to go with other agents, then I trust his judgement. But If he or another agent aren’t available, then you cannot go.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Two. You are still being punished. Since you can’t do chores at home, you will be doing work for the BPRD agents that are watching over the portal… within reason, of course. And if we deem the Owl Lady’s errands safe to do, you will continue doing those as well.”

She cringes a bit at that, but nods.

“Thirdly, I will coming by everyday to hear from Hellboy what you’ve done and what has happened. If it becomes too risky for my liking, I will call it off. No buts.”

“Understood.”

“And finally… for the time being, no magic.”

“H-huh?!”

“Luz… the week I spent with the BPRD, they were openly honest about many things. Including witches on earth. Hearing about the vile things they do, and how much of their humanity they have you sacrifice for their powers, I’m almost glad that this Eda is the one who found you.” I give her a stern look. “You could have very easily been targeted by one of them for your interests. And we might’ve found you in a very different state. As for the magic… Hellboy and his agency are investigating this place already. Until he can determine the safety of this magic, you will not practice it. If he finds it to be harmless… I may consider letting you learn it. But until then, even your light spell is off limits.”

Luz looks conflicted and disappointed but agrees. “Si, mami. Uh… and Eda?”

“…I guess I can’t see if I can trust her if I don’t give her the chance to earn it… but Hellboy’s authority comes first, understand?”

She nods again.

“Good.” I breathe deeply. I’m probably about to make a very questionable choice in parenting. “Then I am open to the idea. Let us ask Hellboy, before anything else.”

I just hope that questionable choice is the right one.

* * *

“So, you’re a babysitter now?” Liz asks, amused.

“Maybe.”

“Manning might not be happy about that. He might consider you getting too close to the case.”

“Screw ‘em.” I put out my cigarette in my hand. “It gives me a chance to help out both of them while also letting me learn more about how this place works.”

“You really think it’s this emperor fellow?” Abe questions, not taking his eyes of his scanner. 

“I don’t know. But Snaggletooth said blocking the portal would take a bunch of magic. He’s my biggest culprit. What’s really irking me is… why the two of us? There’s no relation as far as I can see. I don’t know what connects the us both, what it is about the kid and I have in common. I’m not seeing all the pieces here, and I hate that. Just means the bad guys have the advantage.”

Liz sips a bit of her coffee. “So, what’s up first then?”

“The kid says there’s some kind of convention in a few days where the covens recruit and show off. I figure that’s a good place to start.” 

Abe snaps his fingers. “Before I forget… how many fights did you get into while you were here?”

“Hmm?” Weird question. I know I fought Snaggletooth, but there was also… the… “One.”

Liz gives me an incredulous look. “One? Are you sure?” 

“Yeah. The Owl Lady.”

“That’s funny…” Abe says, a smirk on his face. “Because I was having a lovely conversation with the door earlier…” I tense up. “And he says you and he fought. Claims he got quite a few hits on you-”

“If you don’t mind, I think I’m gonna go have a talk with that door.” I state before walking away.

Before I get out of earshot, I can hear the two of them talk. “I believe you and the others owe me.”

“Yeah, yeah. So much for my good feeling…”

* * *

“And you’re sure that is how you would describe him?”

“Y-yes, my Emperor. Sawed off horns, stone hand, red skin. I… I apologize greatly for not apprehending him. I-”

“Don’t be so foolish. I do not wish to detain him. Nor did I expect that you and the guards would. Go and rest up. Just know that I expect you to pull double duty for not coming to me or my subordinates sooner.”

“Yes, my Emperor!” The guard scurries off, glad to not be greatly punished. As he should be… 

“Lilith.” The Owl Lady’s sister steps out from the shadows and bows. “Should you or your guards see this creature again, question him. Do not apprehend him, however. I simply wish to know his intentions for being on the Isles.”

“And… if he interferes with capturing my sister, or vice versa?”

“Incapacitate him if you must.” I wave her out. “Be on your way. I am aware that you must ready yourself for the coming Covention.”

“Yes, my emperor.” As she exits the room, Kikimora is quick with her curiosity.

“Sire, might I inquire why you do not wish to apprehend this trouble maker? His fight with the Owl Lady tore up much of the grounds of Hexside. Should we not find out who he is and arrest him?”

“I already know who he is, Kiki. Long have I prepared for the day he would arrive here… and yet I still do not feel ready.” I stare out, looking the petrification statue in the eyes. “Anung un Rama… do you even realize who wanted you here?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno, I think King had the right idea about the door. What about you guys?
> 
> Next time, Covention is in town! Will things go the same? Will they be different? Will Hooty get a breath mint? I mean, those first two are up in the air, but the third one’s pretty much a no.
> 
> That’s it for now, see you next time! Watch the right hook!


	5. Hellboy's Day Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hellboy goes out to do a few errands on the town. Meanwhile, the denizens left at the Owl House meet and greet with another member of the BPRD...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey folks. Sorry I've been gone so long. A few factors had a hand in making me take such a long time. The biggest one? The U.S. elections. Those were so damn stressful to wait through. I couldn't focus on writing. I was too anxious, too restless. It ended extending the writing of this way into November.
> 
> The other biggest was… well, some of you might notice this chapter isn't Covention. Well, after I finished the last chapter, I just didn't feel right going straight into Covention. I didn't want it to be a complete copy/paste of the episode but just with Hellboy, so I needed to think about it. With Takana's help, I was able to think out a solution. However, that solution required setup, which is admittedly what this chapter is for. Despite how it was initially just made for that, it also ended up being more good character pieces for me wot work with.
> 
> Another thing y'all might notice is the name of the story has changed. Yeah, back when I put out the first chapter, I rushed with the story's name because I wanted to post the story ASAP. Looking back on it though, the name just felt… bland. Generic. So, I got to thinking about a new one, discussing it with Takana, and Hell's Boiling Point is what I settled on. It still brings both series to mind while sparking an interesting title. Hopefully.
> 
> Finally, I've been looking to find somewhere to commission a title card for this story. I tried drawing a piece of my own, but it's... definitely amateurish. I'm hoping to use It as a template to send to an artist I can commission for a better one. Someone who can mimic Mignola's art. It might take some time.
> 
> I also found some fanart of this story! Szart98pl made a piece of Hellboy and Eda's staredown. Go give him some love!
> 
> With all that out of the way, on to the next chapter! No real action this time, that's coming in the next few chapters.

"That's a load of bull." I flick my lighter closed.

"Yeah, Manning's been really on my case about keeping too many of his "star agents" here. He's being stubborn on this in particular since you're stuck here." Kate replies, kolache box in hand.

I sigh and take one. "So, when did they leave?"

"Abe and Liz got airlifted this morning. It'll probably be a few days before they handle those ghosts in the Dead Sea."

"Hmph. Ghosts in the Dead Sea… Fitting situation, I guess." I take a bite. Not bad, but nothing compared to this one location in Dallas. Best I've tasted.

"HOOOOOOOT! HOOOOOOOT!" Our conversation is interrupted when the feathery door piece starts hooting like some kind of howler monkey bird hybrid.

"That's certainly a wake up call." Kate says, using her free hand to rub one of her ears.

"Try hearing it at 4 in the morning. I think Snaggletooth knocked him out before he could go off too long. Threw a cauldron at him."

"World's worst alarm clock…" Kate groans.

"Anyway…" I veer the discussion back, trying to drown out the sound. "Any other news I should know about."

"Well, he thought we were overstaffed. So he's decided to move most of our agents out too. Said he doesn't feel we need so many just to get you home."

"Did he not get the point of my report? It wasn't just me. The girl's trapped here, too. This isn't just some aftermath cleanup of some kind."

"Manning doesn't seem to think so. He's only leaving us with about four or five agents for the time being."

"Is there any good news you got for me?"

"Well, since he was taking Abe and Liz for a little bit, I was at least able to get him to send me someone to replace them. It's his first time out in the field since actually becoming an agent, so he's pretty excited about it."

"Hmm? They're sending us a rookie?" That felt a bit irritating. A hollow gesture even, replacing our experts with greenhorns.

"Don't tell me you forgot. After all, it was your good word that got him recruited… as well as resurrected."

Resurrected? What does she… ah. I see who it is now. "Well, Kate… when you're right you're right. When should we expecting him?"

"He should be arriving within the hour. You gonna introduce him to our latest hosts?"

"Sort of, but I won't be sticking around for too long. I'm gonna be heading into town today. Honestly, I was mostly mad cause I felt we needed someone who could keep track of ol' Owl Face. Miss Noceda doesn't trust her yet, so I can't have her going off alone with the kid. A few humans aren't gonna keep her from doing whatever she feels like."

"Supernatural agents aren't going to have a much easier time."

"Yeah, but it'll be easier regardless." I finish the pastry before returning to my smoke. Nice way to begin a morning. Knowing my luck, I'll need this little bit of relaxation before things eventually go nuts.

"So, you're already looking into this emperor guy?"

"Well, that's only half of it. I'm also gonna see what I can find out about the magic of this place. See how it works. I know both Nocedas probably want to hear how that goes."

Kate looks through her files. "I guess that'll give me a chance to ask Miss Eda about the letter. There's a question I still have."

"It wasn't her." She raises an eyebrow at me. "Think about it. Luz was the one who wanted to stay, and Eda didn't much care. Why would she bother sending a letter to cover her tracks? Besides, I brought it up with her. She laughed at me for being old fashioned. Apparently, the people living here have some kind of magical phone-like scroll."

"…How?"

"No idea. Guess it beats using birds."

Speaking of which, a sudden commotion outside grabs our attention again. "Dang it, Hooty! Shut your beak before I turn you into fried chicken!"

"Ow!" The screeching finally goes silent.

The two of us just sort stare out the window, thinking to ourselves how weird this place is… I'll take a fight with another one of those cyborg gorillas over hearing that feathery tube make any more noise.

I clear my throat. "That… does bring up another problem. Eda's been to Earth. Recently, even. She might not care about humans much, but there's a good chance she'd know that letters aren't a popular type of communication anymore. Heck, the kid's been using her phone constantly while here. Whoever wrote that letter probably didn't know that we'd grown in tech… which means they had to have been cut off from the human world for years."

"Then the emperor, perhaps? He is your biggest suspect after all."

"Could be, but it's just not gelling together to me. He keeps a random human girl from going home, but he stills needs to send a letter to cover his tracks?"

"Maybe he wanted to bring you here? Wouldn't be the first time."

"Yeah, but I'm here now. If he was as quick on the uptake to trap me here after my fight with Snaggletooth, why's the barrier still not working for the kid?"

"Good point." She puts the files down and stirs the coffee she bought. "Are you saying it's not him?"

"No… maybe. I don't know. Like I've been saying, I don't have all the pieces right now. If I'm gonna pin anyone, I'll need to do it after I get more info."

"Fair enough. Just try not to get into trouble while you're out on the strip."

I hold back a laugh. "Yeah. I'll try. Doesn't mean I'll succeed."

"You people still here?" A sluggish voice calls out from the stairs. "Don't you have beds on the other side or something?" The Owl Lady trudges over to her fridge, pulling out a container of reddish liquid.

"Some of us have good work ethic." Kate snips back, not even looking at her.

"Bleh." Snaggletooth bats the air at us and drinks her beverage. "Hmm. That's funny. Usually Luz would be down here jumping all around about magic lessons."

I shrug. "Still sleeping, I think. Best not to disturb her. Yesterday was pretty stressful."

She scratches her stomach. "Where's the nurse?"

Kate sips from her own coffee. "Ms. Noceda left pretty early this morning for her job. She'll be back tonight to talk more with us about this whole "trial" thing we're doing."

"Hm." Snaggletooth mutters. She strolls over to the doorway, currently glowing in the middle of the living room. "Never kept this thing open for this long. It does make me wonder if this thing has a battery life."

Kate walks over to observe it as well. "Not as far as I can tell. It'll stay on as long as we need it to."

"And that means you'll be bumming around my house until then. Great."

"Morning…" Another sluggish voice emerges from upstairs. Luz rubs her eyes, peering around the room.

"Jeez, kid. You look as dead as I do." The Owl Lady comments.

"Sorry… after all the… "excitement" from yesterday, I guess my body didn't feel like waking up early."

"Now you know how evening people feel."

"Guess Mom had a morning shift. I remember her kissing my forehead this morning before I went back to sleep." She gives out a long yawn. "I wonder if maybe I could meet with Willow and Gus today about Covention. I didn't get to talk with them too long before they had to go home…"

"Might be good to just take it easy today." I suggest. "I was meaning to do some solo investigating into the town anyway."

"Oh, so you're going to investigate the magic of the boiling isles today?" She asks somewhat excitedly, waking up a bit.

"Among other things." The kid hops up and down, quietly shouting "yes" to herself. "But it also means you're stuck here. Gives you a chance to get acquainted with your new chores. Kate will let you know what you need to do."

"Dagh." Her arms droop, and she looks exhausted already.

Snaggletooth starts grumbling from the kitchen. "What about my deliveries? How am I supposed to get those done today without my errand girl?"

"You could do 'em yourself." I tell her flatly.

"After the fiasco yesterday? I don't know if you noticed, but we destroyed a lot of property. The fuzz is gonna be looking for me extra hard. Need to lay low until they calm down." Snaggletooth explains. "You on the other hand will probabvly have an easier time talking your way around the guards."

"Well, that's tough. Tell me how it goes later this week."

She marches up to me. "Oh no you don't. They wouldn't be up in a tizzy if not for you."

"And I wouldn't be here if not for you. Wanna keep this going?"

"The point is, Trenchcoat, I need the snails from my business to buy the elixir for my curse. Remember? I told Luz's mama yesterday. You were there. And that's not including all the other things I need to buy to keep up with this house. Charm supplies, special magic coatings, beast repellents, it goes on."

"Alright, alright! I get it already. I'll make your damn deliveries for you. Jeez…"

"Good. You'll find the supplies by the door before you go out. Make 'em first and then you do whatever "detective" work you need after. Capiche?"

"Hmm."

"Hey Hellboy, where are Liz and Abe? I was hoping I'd at least get to ask them about some BPRD adventures." The kid pipes up, peering around the room.

"Sorry, Luz. Our ever so wise Director airlifted them out for a job at the Dead Sea. They'll be gone a few days inspecting some ghosts."

"Aww… wait, ghosts in the Dead Sea?" Her eyes light up. "Awesome…"

I chortle a bit. The kid's all sunshine and rainbows about this stuff. I'd been expecting her in a more goth getup when I was told she was into monsters and myths. Well, you know what they say about assuming... I toss her a kolache, which she scarfs down pretty quickly. "Don't worry about Liz and Abe. They'll be back before you know it. But I do have someone coming to replace the manpower."

"Sidney Leach?" She guesses. Hoo man, Leach'll like that. The human agents don't get as much attention as us weirdos do. 'Cept maybe Kate.

"Nah, this is a new guy. It's his first mission, so we thought this would be a good place to start. I'm waiting until he gets here before I head out. I think you'll like him. He's a pretty good guy."

Snaggletooth groans. "As if I didn't have enough people invading my house."

* * *

To say I'm nervous is a bit of an understatement. I'm completely anxious. My first mission since being brought to life… again.

I'm still shocked they decided to do that. After what almost happened with Liz, and what I did to Bud, I figured they would be happy to leave me lying on a dissection table. I mean, a lot of them were. But Hellboy and Abe… I don't know what they saw in me, but I'm gracious they believed I was worth something. Even Liz was willing to forgive me.

The car finally comes to a stop. Good, I can finally get out of this SUV. Let me tell you, I may not have proper nerves, but I felt my legs were falling asleep regardless.

Arriving at the destroyed cabin (I've been told it used to be less exploded before Hellboy arrived), I see three agents. According to the rundown I was given, these agents are meant to stay on this side, seeing how the portal interacts with the human world. The rest are with Hellboy and Kate on the other side.

Unfortunately, most of the agents are still wary of me. They just kind of stare at me for a moment, only looking away when I notice. It's a bit distressing, but maybe not unwarranted. I'm just choosing to ignore it for now.

Standing before the glowing door, my nervousness comes back. I take a deep breath. I don't have any lungs, of course, but I've heard it can be calming. One step through it, and I'm in a cabin of wonder and magic. Well, I think so anyway.

"Hey, Roger. You make it here okay?" The familiar voice of Hellboy grabs my attention. He stands there with Kate and some other characters. The rundown talked about them.

"The ride was bumpy, but otherwise okay. This place looks cool."

"Whoa! He's as big as you, Hellboy!" The young girl shouts. Luz Noceda, from what the report says.

"Everyone, this is Roger. He's our latest recruit."

The girl sticks her hand out excitedly. "Hello!" Without hesitation or doubt. I think I like her already.

I mirror her, shaking her hand with as much enthusiasm. "Hello!"

"Okay, last time I checked, humans didn't have gray skin." The older woman, I'm guessing Eda the Owl Lady, comments. "Or weird metal rings in distracting places…" She mumbles so the girl can't hear. "Wait a minute…" She sniffs the air, slowly walking over to me. "Smells like… dried blood." She eyes me up and down. She lifts up one of my hands and peers at it closely and poking at it. I wasn't prepared for her licking the back of my hand. It tickles. "This… this is a homunculus! Bigger than the usual kind… how'd you get one of these guys?"

Hellboy shrugs, his expression a bit weirded out from Eda's "inspection". "We just sorta found him."

"Who would leave a perfectly good homunculus lying around?"

"I feel like I've heard of that…" Luz ponders out loud.

Eda leans back onto the counter. Her attention is mostly focused on Luz. "Homunculi are artificial beings created using Alchemy. It's considered an advanced study under potions at that dingy school."

"Ooooh, Alchemy! I know a show that involves that… huh, now that I think about it, the glyphs are kinda like that show."

Hellboy strokes his chin. "Oh yeah. The one with the kid with the metal arm?"

"You've seen it?"

"Haven't been able to catch up with the series. BPRD work is like that."

Kate finally says something. "Oh yeah, you left off on the old version. They released a remake a few years later."

"Blech." Luz gags. "You watched the first show? We definitely need to get you into the second one. It's far more accurate to the manga-"

"I have no idea what any of you are talking about, but if I could have your attention back…" Eda loudly interrupts, and Luz's gaze returns to her. "Potions and Alchemy don't involve glyphs or spell circles, kid. It's all about combining materials to make concoctions and other special items. In this guy's case, a Homunculus. You take some blood and herbs, stew it in a jar… and then you incubate it in horse manure!"

Luz stares at her with a blank smile. "Gross." I frown a bit. I suppose that was expected. I could only come off as "not freaky" to a human for so long. "But also really cool!" She adds unflinchingly, surprising me. The smile returns to my face.

Hellboy places a hand on my shoulder. "Yeah, Luz likes anything having to do with magic and monsters. And with Snaggletooth and her little house of wonders here… you'll fit in just fine." He looks around the room. "Where's the dog bone?"

"King? Either he's sleeping in or he's working on his "totally unbiased" book of demons. He'll turn up eventually."

"Right. Listen, let me just give him a quick rundown, then I'll be on my way." He guides me to the house's front door, picking up some box as we head outside. "How ya feeling?"

"Nervous." I rub the back of my head. "I know it's silly, I've already technically been on my first mission…"

"Right. South Carolina… you been doing okay since then?"

"As good as I can do, I guess."

"I'd like to tell you it's not going to get complicated this time, but it's been doing that long before you got here. Honestly, nine times out of ten, the mission isn't as simple as we first think."

"I just hope I can adapt to the situation if it does end up going awry." I poke at the cap on my chest. "You and Abe advocated for me. I don't want to let you two down."

"Don't worry about that. Just focus on doing the right thing, I'm sure you'll do fine." He adjusts the box full of liquids. "So, first job for you. I need to go into town to do some investigating. You keep an eye on the girl and make sure the witch doesn't get up to anything with her. Ground rules: Luz can't go anywhere unless we say so and can't do this island's magic until we give the all clear. We keep her out of danger no matter what."

"Gotcha." I can't help but wonder one thing, though… "Um, is this where I salute?"

"We don't really do that. I will take a thumbs up, however." We share two thumbs, and Hellboy makes his way into the forest towards town.

Back inside the house, Eda is relaxing on the couch, changed into a red outfit. Kate is directing the agents to move machines in certain places. I don't see Luz.

"There, in that spot. Out of the way of people's feet but still close to the door. Can someone get me a MIGNO-93? That's probably our best bet to scan the inside of the portal. If we get the readings on that sort of "in between" area, we might be able to figure out why it's rejecting Luz and Hellboy."

"Need my help?" I offer.

"Not quite yet, Roger. But I will need some heavy lifting done for some pieces on the other side. Just wait around for now, I'll let you know when I need you."

"I could probably heeelllllp!" A weird cylindrical owl thing rises up between us. "I can totally pick up those thingies and doodads! I can even juggle them if you want!"

"No, no! You aren't going anywhere near that delicate equipment!" Kate shouts at it.

"Aw, come on! I promise not to drop a few of them!"

Kate pulls a small device out that sparks. "Get the hell out or I'll show you what fifty thousand volts feels like."

"Gah! Don't tase me, bro!" His form quickly slithers out the window. Kate pinches the bridge of her nose while walking back to the other agents.

I can't help but stand there. I'm not sure what else I can possibly do, as the other agents are already handling the other equipment. I just sort of stand around awkwardly, gazing at various items on the shelves and walls. Already I feel like I'm not doing enough.

"Whoa. I've never been this close to BPRD investigations before." I jump at Luz's voice. Standing next to me in a new outfit, she gazes on as the agents do their work. "Usually I only see them from TubeTube videos, or on TV. Getting to see them in person like this is exciting." She turns to me. "What's it like working with him? Solving supernatural mysteries and fighting alongside Hellboy?"

I don't answer at first. My experience with the BPRD so far has been… limited. At first, I was their enemy. Then I was stuck in their facilities for a while. Then South Carolina… and finally, training proper.

Still… despite the limited time he'd spent with him, he knew much of what he could say about Hellboy.… "Well… you can tell he's been at this for a while. Complications are both surprising yet predictable to him. It might catch him off guard at first, but he's quick to adapt. He's also a real welcoming guy. He does whatever he can to make you feel like you're not out of place. But most importantly… he wants to do right by everyone. Whether it be human or supernatural being, he won't stand to see them be wronged. And he sees the better parts in you… even if you don't." I give her a grin. "He's a pretty great guy."

"Yeah." She looks down and smiles. "I think so too."

"Luz, good to see you're dressed for the day." Kate calls out, slightly startling her. "You're just in time for me to teach you your first new chore."

"Aw, darn it…" Luz slumps over.

"Come on over. You're first job will involve marking down energy levels and repeating them back to me."

"Oh, I know that one." I mention. "I can help you learn it."

"Really?"

"Sure. Don't worry, you won't have to mark down the numbers each second. Kate will fire it up, and when this little gauge reaches max, that's when you record it and tell her…"

* * *

I toss the last few snails into the bag, pocketing it into my coat. This went surprisingly quicker than I thought. I was worried it would take me till the afternoon and give me less time to look around. Still, it might've been quick, but it wasn't necessarily easy. One house's door kept moving on me. Literally. One resident sprayed me with… some kind of goo. I think the less I know, the better. I'll just make sure to wash extra thoroughly tonight. One house's doorbell tried to eat me. I responded by knocking its teeth out.

I can tell you, it's not looking like we'll let Luz do these deliveries. At least not until Snaggletooth takes some damn precautions.

Still, in spite of being pushed to do the witch's grunt work, it has given me a chance to take a closer look at the people who live here. Before, I'd been entirely focused on finding Luz. So, it'll be fascinating to see what I missed the first time around.

It's astonishing to see how integrated magic is into these people's lives. I think I've seen several dozen spell circles being used on one street alone. Shop and stall owners, street performers, even some children running and playing around. If this magic really is backed by a demon, it might be one of the best pyramid schemes of damnation I've ever seen. This place might as well be completely dependent on it.

Surprisingly though, I have this feeling in my gut telling me there really aren't any strings attached. I don't know, something about the casual use of spells… But I can't go off a gut feeling alone. Ms. Noceda will want some hard proof. I'll need to start doing some research proper… but where to start?

…Well… I do know one place.

* * *

Eyes are on me this time around as I enter the tavern. Guess word got around about a certain event yesterday... and who was involved in it. I noticed it on the streets too. Some gave me hard stares as I walked around, others gave a quick glance and then tried acting inconspicuously.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. You end up finding your human, friend?" The barkeep asks me as I stop at the counter.

"More or less."

"You sure know how to cause quite a ruckus, you know that? People all around town are talking about what happened at Hexside. The way some go on it's as if a gore-nado flew through the area." ...Gore-nado?

"Just tends to happen on the job. Things get complicated."

"Complicated? You call getting into a tussle with the strongest wild witch on the isles complicated? The Owl Lady of the Outskirts? The biggest criminal on Belos' hit list? I'm surprised you weren't blown to pieces by her!"

"I'm pretty sturdy." I flip a coin onto the counter, the one from when I first got here. I'd rather not use the witch's money. She'll probably find a way to make me pay a huge amount of interest for one damn coin. "That being said, I could use some of your info again. The magic she was using... I'm not exactly familiar with it."

He slides a different drink down, dark green in color. Once again, it tastes pretty good. "Not familiar with... what in Belos' name are on about? The Owl Lady might be powerful, but it's the same magic everybody uses."

"Remember when I told you I was from out of town?" He does a double take at me.

"You said you were "visiting". I thought you meant that you just weren't from Bonesborough. Where the hell are you from then?"

"Way out of town... where the witches gain their power through deals with demons. And I mean the big ones."

"...You mean... witches from the human side?" I nod, and he shudders. "Yeesh. Their magic is even wilder than the Owl Lady's. Those gals creep me out something fierce. What do you need help from me for?"

"The magic of this place doesn't seem to follow the same rules as what I'm used to. I need to know how it works if I'm gonna fight her again."

"Again?! Why would you do something so stupid as that?"

"The Owl Lady's got something I want. I ain't leaving till I get it." That's only sort of true, in a way, but I'm not sure I need it getting around that I'm staying with Snaggletooth. Those guards did tackle me for simply being associated with her...

"Hmph. Crazy bastard. Well, I can't tell you how our magic works exactly. If you really need that kind of information, just go to the Bonesborough Library."

I down the rest of my drink. "S'all I needed to know. Can you give me directions?"

* * *

"No, no, no. If we are to show our expertise at the Covention, we must be in sync. Our future comrades will be in that audience, and we must be sure to make an impression on them here and now if we are to gain their loyalty." I point to the coven member who has been slacking during this crucial rehearsal. "For our Emperor's sake, get it right! Unless you'd prefer to make our beloved leader look bad?"

"N-no, ma'am. I'm just a little tired is all."

"Then get some apple blood if you must! Just don't come back onto this stage until you know you can give it your all!" He shakes his head up and down, then scurries out the room. I sigh. "All right then, I suppose that's good a time any for a break. Take five." The other coven members also exit the room. Honestly, they would not be so nonchalant about this event if they were the ones organizing the coven's show this year.

"Miss Lilith, Miss Lilith!" A city guard comes storming in. "Miss Lilith, I have some urgent news."

"Can it not wait? I'm busy enough as is coordinating for the Covention."

"It's about the demon with sawed off horns! One of our guards spotted him in town!"

That information gets my attention. "The one who fought my sister? What is he doing in town?"

"Last the guard said, he seemed to be... making deliveries."

"Deliveries?" From what other guards have said, he was apparently a bounty hunter. Why would he be making deliveries? Did my sister truly beat him yesterday and enslave him? Doesn't seem like her... then again, previous reports about her mention her being with a human. It's hard to know what's going through my sister's mind these days.

"Do they know where he's going?"

"I'm not sure, ma'am. He was last seen exiting the Terrorantula's Web."

Hmm... I do need to stay to prepare... but Belos did want me to question this individual. I might not get another chance. The Emperor will surely forgive me for leaving if I am successful getting answers. "Continue having your guards look for him. But do not engage. I will confront him myself."

* * *

I grunt as I put down a box of stuff as gently as I can. I stop to catch my breath. Miss Corrigan had detected some odd signatures in different spots in the house, but they'd been blocked off furniture. So, my next job was to move that furniture so she could get proper readings. And then moving it back when they were done. Nothing too heavy, of course. Roger would be the one to move dressers and couches. Still, it's hard work.

"That's the last spot. Now, I just message the results back to base and wait to see what they have to say."

I kind of register that. The least I comprehend is that we're done with lifting and moving... for now. My poor nerd arms are going to feel sore in the morning.

"Until that info comes down, let's go ahead and take a break."

"Finally…" I flop into the nearest chair. "This punishment's turning out even harder than I thought." Only a little past noon and I already felt like going to bed. But now, I have some time to myself to spend how I want… at least for as long as this break is.

I mull around in my mind what to do for the time being. Maybe I could ask Eda to show me… wait, no. Eda couldn't teach me anything until Hellboy gave the okay. Well, then maybe I could go with Willow and Gus to… no, I can't leave without approval from the BPRD. Maybe I might be able to talk to King, but I haven't seen him all morning. Looks like I'll just have to play around on my phone. I take it out and- "Ah, dang it! I forgot to charge it last night…" I look around for a static rock. Eda uses them for more… electrical spells and potions, but I found very quickly that they were surprisingly good at charging my phone. All I needed to do was place it next to one, and within an hour, it would be ready.

However, by the time that hour would finish, I'd probably be back to work with Kate and the others. I groan in frustration. "This stinks."

"Kinda does." She glanced up at Eda as she walked into the room. "Don't worry about it too much, kid. The Para-whatsit guys might be paranoid about the magic of the Boiling Isles, but I can tell you for sure that it's just fine. I've met my fair share of witches on the human side, and trust me, the Titan's magic isn't a malevolent source like theirs is."

"I guess… but I still worry that they won't see it that way. And it doesn't make the wait any less agonizing."

"Yeah. It's real boring around here now ain't it? You look like you're about ready to become one with that chair." She gives a small snorty laugh. "Ahh, but seriously kid. It'll be fine. Before you know it, we'll be back to learning your next spells."

Eda says that, but… will we really? I've seen everything on this island as pretty cool, or amazing, and all that, but… from most other people's perspective, it would be seen as horrifying. I'd been hopeful this morning that Hellboy was looking into the Isles magic, but was that really a good thing? If anything, it could mean the opposite. And even if Hellboy found it alright, would her mom see it the same way? The concerns are wracking my mind like crazy.

"Yeah…" I mutter, not entirely convinced. "I'm gonna go and get some fresh air before Kate comes back."

* * *

Luz misses the saddened look that Eda gives her as she walks out. She notices me looking at her and acts all grumpy again. "What's with the grin, big guy?"

I don't answer her on that, simply heading for the door. "Maybe I can talk to her."

"…Good luck." She mutters as I walk out the door.

Luz isn't doing much, simply leaning on the house, staring at the forest's edge. She's probably waiting for Hellboy. With not much for her to do, I can see why. If Hellboy comes back and says the magic of this realm is okay, then she'll be able to learn it again. But until then, her options are limited.

"Oh. Hey, Roger." She greets as I stroll up.

"Got bored?"

"Sort of… but it's more than that. Without much to do, it's made me think. Hellboy could be my hero. But…" She pauses a moment. "…If Hellboy comes back and tells mom that the Boiling Isles magic is too dangerous…"

"I get it. The wait is killing you, isn't it?"

"Yeah. The moment he comes back will either make or break my chance to stay here." She looks off across the ocean. "So, here I wait… at least until Kate comes back from break." She peers up into the sky. "I just wish more than anything else that my mom will let me stay. That she'll see how amazing this place is. I may noy be a chosen one, but I feel like I can find my purpose here."

She sighs in defeat. "But I can't kid myself. I ran away from home and broke her heart. I stayed in a place that put me in danger, scaring her out of her mind. I'm lucky she even humored me on this trial run. I'm glad she'll let me see Willow and Gus, but as far as the rest of the Boiling Isles go… if she decides I can't come back, I can't really blame her."

Her face reads of distress, eyes watering slightly. At that moment, she seems to realize she told me this. She wipes her face. "I'm… sorry. I didn't mean to dump all that on you. I guess all that's been weighing a bit much on my mind."

I don't mind. I'd gotten much of the story from Kate through the day. I could relate. Guilted by mistakes… searching for one's worth… it makes me feel a kinship with her. I suppose it's only fair that I share my own experience with such.

I sit down against the wall, bringing me closer to her height. "I had a brother."

Luz looks at me in curiosity. "A brother? But I thought you were-"

"Artificial. Yes. But we were made by the same creator. It's about as close to a relative I can get." She nods in understanding. "My brother… see, I'd been wandering alone for the time I'd been alive. Wracked with guilt over mistakes I'd made in my first moments of life. I had hurt someone… and even…" I stop myself. Though I don't wish to say it to a young girl, she seems to get the implication. "I thought myself an abomination."

Luz looks at me sadly, placing a hand on my shoulder. I smile back at her. "About that point, my brother found me. He told me of the father who abandoned us…" Luz's hand clenches my shoulder a bit harder. It's as if she was pained to hear that. "…and attempted to persuade me we were superior to human beings. For the time I spent with him, he said great words about us… I'd thought that maybe I did have reason to live. But… I soon realized he did not care for what I wanted." The memories of the event flash in my mind. "He wished to destroy humanity. Have us become one in a gigantic colossus made of metal and flesh. But I wanted no part in such a massacre. I did not want to build my life off the corpses of others. …He would not listen. In the end, I understood that he only saw me as a means to his own ends. I… I had to…

Luz kneels down. "I… I understand." She sits beside me. "I get what you're going through. A lot more than you realize. Thinking that you weren't meant to belong… or just feeling terrible about mistakes you've made. Even when it comes to your…" She hesitates at the end. "…But… why tell me all of this?"

I remain silent for a moment. "My brother only came to me for what he wanted. To have a mindless drone whose only purpose was to serve him. He wasn't truly family to me in the end. But your mom… she's tough on you… but she considers what you want. She wants what's best for you and is willing to do it in a way that speaks to you. Even if she did lose sight for a moment. And you… you're still worried about how you hurt her. You care for her as much as she does you… even if you two don't always see eye to eye. Even if I've only been exposed to a corrupt version of the concept… I feel I can confidently say that you two truly are family." I look at her with great conviction. "I believe she will come around. From what I've heard from her, she cares more for you than anything else. It might be rough, but I think she'll understand what this place means to you."

She smiles back at me, grateful for the support. "What you said about Hellboy… about him seeing the good in people. Were you…?"

"I hurt people he cared about. Once the incident with my brother ended I went with him to make things right. It cost me my life. I expected him to not give a damn about me afterward, but… he put a good word in for me."

The girl giggles. "Yeah… you know… I was expected him to be a lot like in the comics. Gruff. No nonsense. Spouting one liners everywhere."

"He is like that, though."

"Well, yeah, but… I wasn't prepared for how gentle he was. When he told me how my decisions were affecting my mom… I half expected him to give me an earful… I even thought he might call me dumb. But… he was nothing like that. He was calm. He didn't even raise his voice at me. And then he walked me through the whole situation. He made it clear I made mistakes… but the whole time, it felt like he didn't want me to drag myself down with them. It's almost as if he'd… been through the same thing."

"Yeah… I got that feeling too." We sit in silence on that thought, staring into the forest just like before. After a few moments of the sound of ocean waves and forest breezes, I finally stand back up. "I think Kate might actually be done for the day, at least on this side of the portal. Maybe we could find something to do to pass the time?"

Luz also stands up, dusting herself off. "My phone isn't charged yet, and I can't do what I usually do on the Boiling Isles… the only thing I can think of is King. But I don't know where he is."

As if on cue, a commotion came from inside. Before we could guess, the door slammed opened. "Luz, there you are!" A small animal thing comes forward.

Luz excitedly runs over and scoops him up. "King! I haven't seen you all morning, you adorable little button!"

"Gah! Luz, I'm trying to act intimidating here!" It was still a few moments before she stopped cuddling him and put him down. "Ahem… yes, well, I'd been very busy all morning. When I heard you wouldn't be learning magic for a while, I thought we could use the opportunity to catch up on your demon lessons. Of course… I suddenly realized I didn't have enough demo- I mean, hadn't prepared the next few lessons, so I've been spending all morning getting them ready to teach you."

She kneels down. "Aw. You wanted to help me pass the time, didn't you, cutie-patootie?"

"No!" He rushes to say. "You're just… behind on your lessons! As a professor of demons it's my job to keep you updated on these things! Now, come on, already. We're losing daylight."

"Do you mind if I join?" I ask. Seems like it could be fun. Plus, I have nothing else to do. I'm bored.

"Uh… this lesson is kinda private, weird giant stranger."

"King, this is Roger the Homunculus. He's with the BPRD."

"Those humans have a Homunculus?! What did I miss?"

"Why don't we go inside, and I'll tell you. Come on, Roger!" She leads King inside to start their lesson.

Besides fun, the BPRD does need to know what kind of creatures are roaming the island. And it might just take enough time for Hellboy to come back.

Still… what is taking Hellboy so long anyway?

* * *

"Damn."

I got turned around at least three times trying to find this library. I had to ask for directions a second time. Just to find this place closed down for the day.

I walk up to the door when I notice a piece of paper. This might shed some light.

_Dear Library Visitors,_

_We are sorry to declare that the Library will be closed for some time. We have become understaffed after several of our librarians suffered nervous breakdowns, due to pranks from unknown suspects. If you should know who might be behind these practical jokes, we ask that you post an anonymous note to the snitch box at your local guard house._

_Thank You,_

_THE KEEPER OF KNOWLEDGE AND UNGODLY SECRETS, LIBRARIAN KOLOK_

"Great. Guess I'm not checking out any books today." I sigh. There's got to be another way to find information on this island. Asking the locals is an option, sure, but it's like asking random bystanders how a field of science works. They could probably give you the basics, but they can't go into detail.

I leave down the street. No point staying. I could break in, but that ain't my style. At least not for legitimate businesses. Plus, it would draw too much attention to me. Suppose I could wander around for a bit longer before heading back, try to find an alternative. But then I'd just be walking around aimlessly. Maybe that school has some teachers who could answer my questions… but they probably won't be keen on letting me around their after my little tussle with Snaggletooth. Assuming class is even in today after we trashed the schoolyard… Perhaps it's just best if I go back to the bar and ask for more options.

…But first, I should probably take care of the pest problem I've been having for the last few blocks.

I swing around, pulling my gun on whoever's been tailing me. The woman is startled, backing up a bit. "You know, I've never been a fan of stalkers. So I'll give you one chance to answer me. If I don't like it, I start blasting. Why are you following me?"

She straightens up and stares at me. "You'd be wise not to pull a weapon on the leader of the Emperor's Coven."

Oh, great. This could be trouble. "Tell me why you've been tailing me, or I might just chance it."

"Easy, demon. I did not come to arrest you. I am Lilith of the Emperor's coven. I am simply here to ask you some things. If you wouldn't mind answering them?"

I raise an eyebrow. I thought the guards might follow up on me after I promised Snaggletooth to them. Didn't think it'd be this soon. I lower my gun. "Depends on what you're asking about."

"Just some matters concerning your stay here."

Doesn't seem like she's lying. Still, if she's the leader of the Emperor's hounds, I better be cautious. I put my gun back in my coat.

"Ah, good." She pulls off her hood. "Out of my own curiosity, I must ask… how did you know I was following you?"

"You learn to spot weird things in my line of work."

"Interesting. And is your business what brought you to come to blows with the Owl Lady?"

"You could say that."

"Can I now? Yet despite going after a well-known criminal, you intimidated my guards into backing off." She looks at me questioningly. "Why?"

"You're… kidding, right?"

She stares at me stone-faced for second before she grimaces. "Fine, you have a point there. Moving on." She clears her throat. "That being said, you promised the guard one Owl Lady. And we seem to have a noticeable lack of Eda Clawthorne within out prison. You and her seemed to have quite the showdown yesterday. What happened?"

I narrow my eyes. She's obviously prying for information. "I didn't win." I say, and she looks expectedly unimpressed. "But I didn't lose either."

"You're trying to tell me you were evenly matched?"

"I'd say so. But I'm looking to tip that scale."

"Is that so?" She waves a finger in a circle, and the bag of snails from my coat fly out. I catch them before she can take them. "Then tell me, why are you doing her errands for her?"

I glare at her as I nestle the bag tighter in this time. "We've got an arrangement. She's got something I want. I ain't leaving till I get it."

"The human, right?" I freeze. Guess I should've expected she would know. I'd been asking around about it so much, it was bound to come back to me. I say nothing to that. Never was a great liar. "Seems I'm on the mark. But… that's not all you're here for, is it?" I raise an eyebrow. The hell is she implying? "My si- Eda is many things, but a slave keeper is not one of them. If you truly wanted to take the human, I have no doubt she would let you. You probably just spooked her while trying to find the thing. But if the human was really all you were after, why haven't you just gone?"

Did… did she not know? If she's really the emperor's stooge, he probably would've told her that he was keeping Luz and I here. Unless…

Unless he isn't the one keeping us here.

"You clearly have an ulterior motive. What is it that you're looking for, hmm? I can get it for you. Emperor Belos is a very generous soul."

"Really, now?" I think it's time I do some fishing of my own.

"Indeed. However… before I could get you what you want, I would need a favor from you."

"And that is?"

"The Owl Lady. If you capture her and bring her to me, I will make sure you have a personal audience with the Emperor to voice your desires."

Figures. Finish the job, get the reward. With what she wants though, I can get the info I want. "Sounds like a good bargain. But if I'm gonna take her in, I need to know what I'm dealing with. The magic you use on these Isles is different than the stuff witches use on the human side."

"You wish to know our magic works?"

"It would help."

"Ask away then, I'll be happy to comply."

"The source of it, first off. Where's it come from?"

"The magic of the Isles is a gift from the Titan. His body brought forth a well of magic that all are privileged to use."

"So, you worship him in exchange for this power?"

"No, no." She quickly stops me. "The beings of the Isles have evolved due to the Titan's magic permeating the air. The creatures of the Boiling Isles have evolved organs such as bile glands next to our hearts to use the magic surrounding us whenever we want."

"So, there's not strings attached?"

"Not necessarily. We follow the Titan's will. But The only one the Titan speaks to is the Emperor. He tells us what the Titan wishes. But the magic would be here regardless. Belos simply taught us how to avoid destroying ourselves with wild magic, like what Eda uses."

"I see. So there's no way to use the magic without these bile glands?"

"Most assuredly." Her face suddenly becomes anxious. "H-hold on, you're not thinking of… No, out of the question, you will not grievously harm her, much less her bile gland, in any way." I look at her questioningly. "The… the Emperor requires she be unmaimed. Is that clear?"

Now why does she want Snaggletooth unharmed? Strange… "Fine. Is the magic of a demonic nature?"

"What?"

"Demonic nature. The way witches from the human world often get their magic is by deals with devils. That kind of magic can be suppressed by methods I know. Is it evil, basically?"

She shakes her head. "No. The magic is of the Titan's, and the Titan's alone. His magic was a power separate from that of hell. One can destroy themselves if not careful… but that is an error on the user, not any outside source."

"Damn. That narrows my options."

"Will you be unable to combat her?"

"No. I think I've got some options left. But it'll take time."

"Perfectly acceptable."

"Good. Then leave me alone for a while. I don't want Snaggletooth getting suspicious. Just assume I'm not ready to strike if you see me with her. Got it?"

"Most certainly. I wish you a good evening, mister…"

"Hellboy. And leave the human alone. If you want the witch unharmed, then the kid's gotta be unharmed."

"Of course. We shall not harm a hair on her head. Let us meet with less hostility next time."

I walk away, headed back to the little shack on the coast. I almost expected today to go belly up after seeing that note on that door. Definitely thought I'd get into more of a hassle with the guards. Instead, I came out with the info I was looking for… both concerning the magic and the ol' Emperor himself.

Don't know how long I can keep the lie up, though. Better use it while I can. God knows how things will probably go wrong somewhere down the line.

* * *

I watch as this 'Hellboy' disappears into town. How he plans to deal with Eda, I am unsure.

A Coven member flanks to my side. "Is it wise to give him so much free reign, Lilith?"

"Of course not. I'm not giving him that much rope." I head off back to the Covention center. "I felt off that entire conversation. We will 'leave him alone', but we will be watching his exploits. Closely…"

* * *

The sun setting over the horizon tells me just how long I took. Hope Luz didn't go nuts with boredom.

I'm greeted with what looks like some kind of makeshift college classroom. Looks like the bonehead finally decided to come down. He's got some chalkboard out with some drawing of a monster out. Both Luz and Roger are sitting down in front of it, both wearing some small caps. They look like bats.

"Hey, Luz." Snaggletooth shouts from the other side of the room. "Trenchcoat is back."

"He is?" Her eyes dart around the room, till they land on me. "He is!" Luz shoots up, running to me in in a flash.

"Hey, kid. You keep yourself busy while I was gone?"

"We were getting along just fine before you interrupted my lesson." Pint size says in a huff.

"Did you find out if I can do magic?" She asks, her face wrought with worry.

"I still need a bit more information. But it's looking good for you." Her face bursts into the biggest gleam of happiness I've seen on her all day. "How was your first day on the job, Roger?"

"Pretty good. King was nice enough to let me sit in on the demon lessons."

"Demon lesson?" That's a bit concerning.

"They're harmless." Kate pipes up. I hadn't even noticed she was sitting down with Snaggletooth. "I have solid info from a local." I look at the Owl Lady, and she just looks away. "How was your search today?" Kate asks me, and I grumble a bit.

"A mixed bag. I got some useful notes. But I might have the attention of the local guards."

"Oh no… don't tell me we'll be seeing wanted posters of you now."

"Not that kind of trouble. But I think I'll be under a watchful eye from now on." I get down and whisper to her. "I also got some interesting information about our "suspect"…"

"You got caught? Amateur." Snaggletooth says with a cocky grin.

"Yeah, yeah. We get it. You're good at being a criminal." I take the bag of snails out from my coat and toss 'em over. "You know, I could start asking for a paycheck."

"You're doing volunteer work, nothing more. The moment I get Luz back on the job, you're being let go."

"Yeah, we're gonna need to talk about that delivery route of yours…"

"Wait, you went out to do Eda's chores? I didn't think they'd take that long. You are an amateur." Pint size says, leaping down from the table he'd been on.

Luz kneels down next to him. "No, King. Hellboy went out to research the Boiling Isles magic, to see if it's dangerous or not. My mom won't let me learn it if it is."

"Unfortunately, the library was closed. Some pranksters caused some mayhem and they had to take a few days off."

"Oh, I heard about that in the papers. Reminds me of my first practical jokes…" Eda says, the sound of nostalgia in her voice.

"That's what you went out there for?" King asks, then walks over to a nearby shelf and pulls out a book titled "The Unauthorized Boiling Isles History". "But we have a book that goes into extensive detail on the magic of the Isles right here."

Kate, Roger, Luz and I stare at the book dumbfounded, before giving Eda a strange look. "We do? Oh yeah, we do!"

"Ugh, this always happens. She forgot we had a back door last week. If I wasn't here, I'm pretty sure she'd forget who Hooty was."

"Aw, come on!" The door-bird slithers in, smooshing his face into Eda's. "No one can forget ol' Hooty!"

She punches him hard enough to fling his head into the nearby wall. "No matter how hard I try." She proceeds to gulp down her drink furiously.

I grumble in frustration before grabbing the book out of King's hands. "I'm gonna have to go and do some quick studying. Come and get me when Ms. Noceda gets here."

* * *

"Here's some tea, Ms. Noceda."

She takes the cup from the Homunculus gently. Her hands tremble slightly. Luckily, it's not due to the artificial human in front of her. She took pretty well to the guy, just like Luz did. Roger's just like that, honestly.

"Thank you, Roger." She takes a sip, before calmly breathing out. "Though it's good to know my daughter is safe, my body has still been so shaky. I had to excuse myself from more precise jobs today."

Kate takes a sip from her own cup. "That's understandable, Ms. Noceda. You've had a scary week. Your body's probably still trying to come down from it all."

"Hopefully it does soon. My superiors have not been so sympathetic to my situation. They've been rushing me to get back to "100% percent", as they say."

I grumble in anger. "Figures. Bunch of assholes…"

"Don't worry about me, Hellboy. This isn't the first time. I can handle it." She takes another sip… and I notice her cup is already pretty empty. "I understand you have some things to tell me about this Island's magic?"

"Yep. I've got it on good authority that the magic of this island isn't connected to demons and that it won't burn up Luz's soul." I take the book from earlier out and slide it to her. "Don't let the name fool you. It matches up with what I learned from official sources in town. I've got the chapter bookmarked."

"Thank you, Hellboy. I know Luz must have been happy to hear that." She sighs as looks it over. "Still, I can't help but feel wary to let her learn it. Even with this information in front of me, I still feel scared of it."

"Sounds like normal parent fears to me. It's only natural to be cautious, Camila." Kate notes.

"…That… "Covention" is tomorrow, right?"

"Yep. With all the covens coming to demonstrate, we'll be able to fully understand this magic's capabilities."

"Good. Maybe understanding what this magic can do might sate my fears." She puts the book down. "I also have one other concern. I've been thinking about the fact that this Eda is a criminal. It's gotten me worried about my Luz's safety with her possibly being target by the law. With her having escaped the local jail…"

"I've got you there." I mention. "Had a talk with an important official in town today… I've gotten them to leave your girl alone. They don't really seem interested in her anyway."

Camila seems to relax a bit at this. "That's good. If that's the case, I'm not so nervous to let her go tomorrow. Just please make sure to keep her out of trouble."

"I'll be watching her like a hawk."

"Thank you." Her eyes veer away to Roger, whose currently playing with a weird item from Eda's house. "My third concern is… can we have Roger wear pants?"

I cringe. "Trust me, Cam. It looks even weirder."

* * *

_…_

_The pieces are moving…_

_...I must make sure…_

_…_

_…In the right direction…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Covention next time. (spongebob narrator voice) Tomorrow for sure…


	6. Covention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Covention day! Anyone get a sense of deja vu?
> 
> As Luz and her guardians explore the event and what it has to offer, they might find it has more in store for them than they thought...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO, EVERYONE!
> 
> Sorry for being gone for so long. Once again, circumstances kept me from focusing on this story for quite a while. The warehouse I work at had a grueling holiday rush, and it was especially bad because two of our people transferred, with no replacements for them. Adding on top of that, some relatives I hadn't seen for a while came for the holidays, and I wanted to spend time with them. 
> 
> But even when I did get back to work, it still took me a while. Why? Because this was the longest chapter I've ever written for any story. It took me longer than I projected to finish. The last two chapters barely made ten thousand words, this one hit sixteen thousand. Be prepared for the longest chapter yet.
> 
> AND THE BIGGEST NEWS- I commissioned art for the story! The title work is drawn by MyNameJers, you can find him on his tumblr, reddit (u/Jers_TreeMan) and twitter (@chrisTheJers)! Go give him some love, he did an amazing job mimicking Mike Mignola's style while still making it his own! **You can find the new art on Chapter 1, at the end.**
> 
> As always, a big thanks to TakanaMakana for beta reading, editing and suggestions!
> 
> With all that out of the way… the event many of you have surely been waiting for… it's Covention Time!

You know what I like about living out on the edge of the Boiling Isles? Plenty of things. The main draw though, is how quiet it is. No neighbors to bother you, especially not for a cup of pixie sugar. Not that I have any- I take my apple blood straight, thank you. No racket from the other residents either. Just the ambience of the surrounding outskirts. Which is another draw… how close to nature you are. Titan knows that everyone else is too afraid of wild magic to go venturing deep into the forests of the island. But me, I like it out here, where there's less rules and more freedom. Sure, you have to take a trek just to get to town for daily shopping and take-out deliveries don't go out this far. But it's a small price to pay to live out here. Oh, and to avoid getting arrested by the cops. That's probably a better tradeoff.

Lately however, things have gotten less quiet. The agents dawdling around my house and the homunculus and blonde gal talking outside are proof enough of that.

Because suddenly, a big oaf in a trenchcoat shows up with his human buddies and start poking around all over the place, using human machines to measure this, calculate that. Usually, this would be the part where I'd chase them off with a multitude of painful spells, but unfortunately, I have to let them do this. Not only because I can't get rid of Trenchcoat himself, but also because Luz won't be able to learn magic if I do. Cause wouldn't you know it, these guys brought Luz's mom with them. And boy, was she not happy.

She yelled up a storm at Luz, before turning on me. Admittedly, I said something I probably shouldn't have, and she got in my face about it. Boy, did that leave me stunned. No one has ever talked to me like that before, not even my own sister. Now, could she have really throttled me like she threatened? Nah. I was caught off guard, and even intimidated for a moment. But I'm the Owl Lady. I've got more than enough ways to deal with any kind of threat, let alone a human.

But when the shock wore off, I did realize just how serious the woman was about her daughter. To have family like that who'll even stick it to a powerful witch like me… it must be real nice. I've got King and Hooty, but my own family? I care about them, but… they haven't really stuck up for me in a long time. Lilith thinks she does, but she never listens to me about that boss of hers.

In any case, when Luz and her mom came down with that little plan of theirs, I thought it'd be best if I played nice for the time being. Luz wants to learn magic more than anything, so I definitely couldn't bring myself to foul it up. The Kid's puppy dog eyes are unbearable to look at. Her mom also said she would let me around her if I proved I was trustworthy. However the hell I'm supposed to that in her eyes…

Still, I didn't get why they wouldn't let Luz do magic at first. Sure, humans can't learn magic the standard way, but it shouldn't be a danger to her. The conversation that followed had quite a few revelations for me.

_Luz's mom had gone to bed, staying up in the room her daughter was in. Most of Flathorn's friends went back to the other side, leaving me to watch while he sets up a makeshift bed in my living room. "Hey, I know the nurse doesn't trust me. But I can guarantee that Luz's soul isn't in danger or anything like that. I know from experience, and even witches in training can tell you that much."_

_Trenchcoat sets down his belongings on various tables around my couch. There aren't really any more rooms he can sleep in, so this will have to do. "Well, Ms. Noceda doesn't trust you, and I'm not sure how I feel about you either. Besides, if you saw what it did to humans on the earth side of things, you would probably understand why we're not so keen on letting her practice the art."_

_I wasn't so convinced. "Considering how it doesn't come to humans naturally, I can't say I believe you all that much."_

_He raises an eyebrow at me as he throws a blanket down. "You're still on about that? Haven't you ever met a witch on the other side? You go there plenty."_

_"Of course I have. All hunched over and withered, right? Or at least most of them." I close the blinds to the house. I can hear Hooty settling into his door. I swear, if he screeches in the morning again…_

_"So you've met some, but you still don't think humans can do magic?"_

_"Look, just because some of the Isles residents look like humans, doesn't mean they are."_

_He pauses while removing his trenchcoat. "What are you talking about?"_

_I better put this one to rest. "Humans think all their little myths and tales go back to some other humans turning into monsters, one way or another. But the truth is, every one of your myths comes from the Boiling Isles. Werewolves, mermaids… and especially witches. One way or another, they left the Isles to romp around in your world. Magical they might be, but human they aren't." I call my staff. Owlbert, who had been stretching his wings, hops back onto it. "The only way Luz is going to learn magic, is her little glyphs- an indirect method that doesn't involve magic coursing through her veins. She's not going to turn into a demon, or a monster, or a wrinkly old witch, because all those things don't come from humans to begin with. You can doubt me on that one all you want, but any Isles resident can tell you that one. So, trust me when I say this: Luz isn't in danger learning magic here." With Owlbert comfortable, I warp my staff back to its resting place so he can sleep._

_His only response is to stare at me, not a word escaping from his mouth. Guess the revelation was too much for him… "Effie Kolb." He says, before removing his trenchcoat._

_"Hmm?" What kind of weird response is that?_

_He picks up a bottle of alcohol of some kind and pops it open. He's got this somber look on his face. "Just a little over sixty years ago. I'd just finished up some work in Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains. I come across this house where a poor girl's been bewitched- left in a death-like state. This wanderer comes in. Tom… good guy, he was. He knows what's wrong with her and who's responsible. Some girl who got tangled in the wrong crowd, named Cora Fisher. So he takes me to confront her. He tells me the girl's involved with the same woman who tried to get him to become a witch. Her name was Effie Kolb." He takes a big swig from his drink, then lets out a low grumble of anger. "Nasty woman. She had this terrible habit of tempting young kids to become witches… to give up their souls to her boss. Some came to like it. Others had no choice. But all of them belonged to that creep afterward. I got a good look at him. Damn, was he ugly… he lived up to his namesake." He finally stares right into my eyes, completely. "The Crooked Man, they called him."_

_And just like that, my instincts flare for a brief moment. Similar to what happened when I first met Flathorn, my body seems to have gone completely alert. And I can understand why this time… that was a powerful demon's name. I could feel it down to my bones. But not your average Isles demon… this one felt… deeper. "That's… not right. No demon from the Isles could do that."_

_"That's because he wasn't from the Isles. He was from Hell." That sent my heart into a pit. "I take it you've heard of the place?"_

_"Yeah… I've heard." He looks at me expectedly, wanting me to elaborate. "The reason why Belos closed off most ways in and out of the Isles was because of them. He gave a lot of speeches about how they used Earth as a playground. How they convinced various individuals from the islands to stay on earth- to terrorize humans since they couldn't use magic to fight back. Like I told you, he hates wild magic. And the demons from Hell… he always said they wanted nothing more than to send us back into the age of wild magic and tear our society apart. So, Belos closed off the realm because he didn't want "the demons and traitors corrupting the good people of the Isles." I never believed wild magic was bad, but… even when I started living out here and rejected Belos' society, something in my gut told me he wasn't wrong about Hell and its inhabitants. There's always this sudden flight or fight response in me when Hell is discussed, and I get this deep pit in my stomach."_

_He points his bottle at me. "You ever get that feeling when talking to earth witches?"_

_I think about that. I'd never made it a habit, mostly because they don't seem to like me… some of them even tried to fight me. But when I remember all the times I came across earth witches, those same feelings of dread come back._

_"Hmm." Flathorn mumbles, seemingly content with the look on my face. He doesn't look smug about it, surprisingly. More like he's got the confirmation he needed. He takes another swig, continuing his story. "The Crooked Man was a particularly cruel one. And Effie Kolb, his right hand, wasn't much better. Killed poor Tom's father… turned him into a horse and rode him to death. We convinced Cora to come with us to a nearby church, so we could bless her. Try to save her, you know?" He looks away. "…She didn't make it to the church. But the two of us did. And with the help of the priest, we gave Tom's father his burial… and did what we could for Cora's soul." His sadness is palpable. His grip loosens on his bottle, nearly dropping it. Only for him to clench tightly out of anger. Almost shattered the thing in his hands._

_"Even when the Crooked Man and Effie came with an army of old, ugly witches… we fought them off, and we even managed to send the Crooked Man back to hell. And Effie Kolb? Well, it wasn't good for her. Changed from the young teen she looked like into the old hag she actually was." He finished off his drink, before throwing it into a nearby trash. He almost went to grab another one but stayed his hand instead. "Dammit, Hellboy… don't get drunk… not on this job…"_

_The silence could be cut by a knife at that point. He puts the cooler away and hangs that… "gun" of his on a rack. "So… I think I can guess where this is going."_

_He nods, and his gaze turns to the stairs. Where one little girl is resting. "Effie was human. The old priest knew her when she was truly a young girl, and him a young man. She was always off… but it got worse when she met the Crooked Man." He grimaces._

_"And she's not the only one. Humans can use magic. Believe you me. But a lot of them want the power for their own gain. And they want it right away. So, kids and adults alike all over the planet end up meeting demons, one way or another. They make deals with them- their souls for knowledge- and it's not pretty what they turn into. Sometimes they find out how to tap into magic on their own… but they decide to dip into the dark kind. It changes people. Not only into witches, but other monstrosities… vampires, werewolves, and a plethora of other horrid things."_

_He finally sits down on the couch, still gazing at those stairs. "I'm telling you… we have good reason to be wary of this magic of yours. Too many people get tempted to toss their souls away for magic. They don't know any better. I'm not taking any chances when it comes to Luz." He finally turns away, lying down. "Still… considering what you told me about this emperor guy… I'm not surprised that you thought these things. He's all about control… ain't he?" He closes his eyes._

Later that evening I was left with my own thoughts, wandering up to my own room. I started to get why they were so cautious. But it doesn't make me any less determined to prove them wrong. The kid's counting on me.

But that other stuff Trenchcoat told me about… it started to make too much sense. If demons from Hell were as powerful as we were always taught, it would make sense they could give you powers you never dreamed of… even if it was a stupid way to get them. But even more than that… 'Humans can't do magic'. 'All human myths come from the Isles.' I'd heard these "truths" over and over as a kid. I'd never thought of them twice. They just seemed like the norm to me. But the more I think on it, the more it doesn't add up, especially after what I've seen and heard.

Luz can use magic, even if it's not the normal way… and obviously there's those witches Hellboy talked about that used to be human. But Belos wants the people of the Boiling Isles to believe that humans aren't and never were capable of magic. He claims the creatures on Earth came from the Isles before he closed off the realm and denounces them as traitors. And I've been hearing rumors that Belos has been seeking to claim my door to the human realm. At first, I thought he wanted to go to Earth… now I'm thinking he just wants to destroy the last gateway between the realms.

For whatever reason, Belos wants the Isles and Earth to stay as far apart as they possibly can… almost as if he's trying to keep something away. But what, I can't say for sure. I didn't get much farther thinking on it that night. But it's been popping up in my mind every now and then.

The calm morning is broken by the sound of my front door opening. Luz and Trenchcoat must be back from deliveries. They probably would've been back sooner if someone hadn't argued with me about whether Luz should be doing my delivieries.

"Hey, Eda! We're finally back!" Luz bursts through the doorway.

"Took you long enough. Did Ol' Flathorn do a safety check every time you got to a house?"

"My job is to keep her safe." The red wonder interjects, bringing in a smell of human "coffee" and cigarette smoke into my house. And oddly… roasted peanuts. "It's certainly not made easier when your little errand run alone risks her being eaten."

"Pfft. Luz was doing just fine before you made a fuss about the deliveries." I make quotes in the air, and he narrows his eyes at me. "But sure, it's so bad that she's learning on the job. I guess next you'll want me to cover her in soft pillows and have her go everywhere in a giant bubble."

"Sorry I didn't want the kid to lose her arm to a doorbell." Of all the things, he refuses to let go of that one in particular. "But sure, keep complaining. I'm sure Ms. Noceda will love how difficult you're being on matters as trivial as this."

"Firstly, I keep telling you the mouthbells just get a taste of your arm to know your intentions. Secondly, I'm completely willing to play nice, but it doesn't mean I can't criticize." I draw a spell circle, creating several portals that start juggling several things of mine. "I saw since the first day that she had this idealized version of what the Isles were like. I send her on these runs to remind her that the Isles are very different from her flowery fantasy books, while at the same time giving her a closer experience with the Isles' magic. Each and every customer I deal with, I make sure isn't some scammer or nutjob. She's never in any real danger."

"Fair enough. But it's not up to us. Luz is Ms. Noceda's daughter, and what she says goes. You can't just expect her to just causally throw her daughter into the thick of it." He sets the empty errand crate down nearby and throws my earnings to me. "You want to convince Luz's mom to try things your way? Ease her into it. Otherwise, you'll just scare her further into her shell."

The sound of Luz clearing her throat reminds us that she's still in the room… and we're obviously leaving her out of the conversation. "Oops, sorry kid." Probably shouldn't get into the habit of going at it about Luz as if she isn't there.

She gives an understanding smile in response. "It's… okay. Everyone's just kind of concerned about me. I get it." She focuses on Trenchcoat. "But… I kinda agree with Eda. I learned the routes and how the houses work pretty fine on my own. And Eda does send King with me to pull me out of trouble. Well, there was the wizard… but that was really more my fault."

"See?" I gestured to her while looking at Flathorn, feeling vindicated. "You gotta take risks sometimes if you wanna learn. Sure, sometimes you land in the mud… or fall off a cliff… or walk into a fake wizard's trap. But more often than not, you're rewarded with experience to use for the rest of your life. You won't always be able to take the easy way out."

He shakes his head, "Maybe not. But you shouldn't always do things the hard way just cause you can. I should know. I've gotten my clock cleaned just because I thought I had to do things the hard way. There are times when it's better to take the simpler option."

"Hmph. And yet the nurse is taking a risk letting her kid learn magic, isn't she?"

"Ooh! That reminds me! We actually met Willow and Gus while on the delivery run!" She interrupts, hopping up and down excitedly. I kinda wonder if she did that to keep us from arguing any further. "They told us they'd come by to meet us. They didn't get the chance to show me around the Magic Fair, so they want to make it up to me with the Covention. They'll probably be here any minute."

"You don't need a tour to know it's all a sham. There's a reason why I never joined any coven, not even the main nine. It's all a scam."

Luz snorts. "Oh, come on, Eda. It can't all be a scam."

I fetch one of my disguise cowls, while King enters the room. Good. I always need help getting my hair into these damn things. "It is, and I'll show you why once we get there. The only thing this Covention is good for is that it'll put your mom's fears to rest. Once Trenchcoat gets the information he needs, I'm out." I suddenly notice King is holding one of Luz's books. "King, what in the Titan's name are you doing?"

"What? They might be flowery, but once you get past that, they're actually pretty good reads!"

I sigh in exasperation. "Just help me get my cowl on."

* * *

Willow and Gus arrived while the witch stuffed her head into a hood. They talked with Luz about all the covens she might be interested in while we made final preparations. Kate and Roger decided to stay behind, but I gave 'em a walkie just in case.

The streets have been pretty empty since this morning. Even more so now. Not sure why, though. From what I can gather, this whole event is mostly like a college or job fair for the school kids. A way for the covens to advertise and convince kids to pick their career paths.

Snaggletooth's been grumpy since we left. I imagine she has more to say about this convention… and that it probably involves a certain emperor. With Luz talking with her friends up ahead, I figure now's a good time to talk to her about it.

"So, what's your beef with the system this time?"

She keeps tucking tufts of hair into her hood, even though it can't contain it. "Why? Gonna start a revolt?"

"Anything this emperor does that could possibly affect our stay here is a concern to me. I'd rather know now rather than later."

"Hmph. Alright, then. You know why I think it's a sham?" She taps her staff on a poster of a heroic looking Belos as we pass it. "Cause it's just another way ol' Bellyache tries to force the Isles into his neat little image."

"Somehow, I had a feeling it was along those lines. But how, exactly?"

"The coven system isn't just a career path. It's your only path. Whatever coven you join, you're locked into it. They seal off the rest of your magic, leaving you unable to cast any spells but the ones that coven was approved to use. Baking coven? Only spells that can be used for baking. Seamstress coven? Get ready to only ever do clothing magic. Plumbing coven? That's a sad life. The nine main covens have a larger variety, but it's not much better."

That is kind of bunk. If someone made an error in deciding their career, they were basically screwed. "Why the lockdown? What's so bad about variety to Belos?"

"More freedom in magic means less control for him. The less control, the more things start to shift back to the days of wild magic… at least in his eyes. And to him, that means losing his rule." She raises two fingers. "There's only two groups on this island that use spells from all areas. Wild witches like myself, whom Belos wants to arrest for "risking the spread of wild magic". And the Emperor's Coven. The only group he approves… because they act as his hand."

"I get it. Weed out the best and have them work for you, enforcing your rule. Meanwhile, the rest are crippled, but are taught to think they're being kept safe. If they ever catch on, they won't have the power to do anything about it."

She snaps her fingers and points at me. "Bingo! Now you're catching on."

"So, that's why you're so upset about Luz coming to this event."

"Yep. I ain't gonna let Belos get inside her head, subtle or not. I'm planning to show her when we get there. I'm hoping she learns to be her own witch rather than follow some set path already planned out for her by some random coven."

"Not a bad lesson. Except her mother's probably going to decide what she can and can't learn."

She gives a discontented grunt. "Which will completely undermine my cool lesson. Don't remind me. Whatever. I'll wear her down eventually."

"I don't know. I think you might scare her with all this Belos talk."

"I'm leaving that part out for now." She's quick to say.

Right. Leave it out even though we need to tell Camila everything. "Any particular reason?"

"Belos might not want humans, but he's not too concerned just because one is around. Especially if they're hanging with a irreputable criminal like myself. I don't want the nurse and Luz getting uppity for no reason. Luz could even learn a little magic and he won't mind. He'll only have an issue if more humans start running around, causing incident after incident."

"You think he'd come down from on high just for that?"

"Only if he feels he needs to reinforce his lies. And take it from me, if he feels the need to do that…" She gives me a stern look. "…at that point, we might be in trouble."

* * *

The convention… er, covention center is quite packed. Stalls as far as the eye can see.

Luz tends to inquire from her friend Willow about the covens, since Eda isn't keen on them. She lists them out as we walk along. Man, some of these are just… superfluous. The hell is even the point of making a hot-hell-dog vendor coven?

What interests me the most though, is when she talks about "the main nine". We come across a display by the Construction coven. They seem to focus mostly on building and repair. Kind of seems like they'd be a lesser coven.

"They use power glyphs to increase their strength." She explains when one of the coven members takes one out for a tiny nose… thing. Unfortunately, she seems to go crazy with power and starts trashing the whole place.

"I AM THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS!"

I watch as a table lands nearby. "Uh… should we do something about that?"

Willow shrugs, brushing it off. "Eh, this kind of stuff just happens. You should have seen what happened last year with the Bard coven."

Gus suddenly shudders. "So many flutes in all the wrong places…"

"Yowza wowza!" Luz says in amazement. A sudden ghostly version of her appears, saying the same thing, catching me off guard a little. "Yowza-whaaa?"

The vision walks over to two older teens standing in front of a symbol. "Ah, you've been taken in by the allure of the illusionist coven! We like to magic with a hint…" He disappears in a puff of smoke, reappearing a few feet away. "…of showmanship." His fellow students appear right next to him.

Luz jumps up and down giddily at the performance. But I've got to get an answer on this before we move on. "What exactly sets the main nine apart from the rest?" Willow and Gus seem surprised I don't know, giving me strange looks. "Hey, I don't live here, remember?"

"Oh, right." Willow strokes her chin. "Well, the best way to put it is that the main nine contain the those who are adept at a larger field of spells. The Construction coven isn't just good at building walls, they're good at all kinds of building spells. From interior decorating to even cooking, if it's buildable, they can do it."

Gus thumbs toward himself. "Yeah. I'm not just able to use smoke spells. I'm learning teleportation, mirror copies, a huge variety of light spells… and some of the masters of my coven can even use intangibility spells."

"I see. They're the cream of the crop."

Luz, who was listening intently, sounds even more amazed. "Wow! Then these covens are sort of like… your career and calling in life! What could possibly be so bad about them, Eda?"

Snaggletooth follows up what she told me earlier, showing Luz a kid who's having his magic sealed away. No mention of Belos, like she said… and topped off with some humble bragging about her being the most powerful witch on the isles. No surprise there.

The group starts to move on after she's done explaining, but before I can move with them, someone grabs my shoulder. Some lady with a look giving me a weird stare. "The tea leaves foretell that this…" She flips a pen in her hand before giving it to me. "…will lead you to your destiny."

Ugh… destiny. For Luz it's what she wants most, but I can't seem to get away from that damn word. Luckily, this lady just seems to be spouting bullshit to get me interested in her coven. "Uh, yeah lady. Thanks." I take the pen, if only because I need something to write notes with to give to Camila. She backs away "ominously".

"Well, that was… ah, crap!" As I look away from her, I realize I've completely lost the group. Damn it, Hellboy. You can't just lose the kid you're supposed to be looking after… I dart my head around, watching for any sign of them… until something catches my eye.

One man, standing in an aisle, staring at me as if I was the strangest thing he'd ever seen. Usually, I'd brush that off. But when I look a little closer, he seems stranger than his surroundings. He's got a full body cloak. It looks like something's rustling under it. But the weirdest thing is… his face. It's not a face at all… it's a gas mask. It's torn in vital places, so I thankfully don't have to worry about a chemical weapon out of nowhere. But there's a weird green glow coming from his eyes. It makes me feel nervous.

"Hey, Flathorn!"

"Hmm?!" I jump and reflexively rear my fist back. Nothing there.

"Take it easy, ya weirdo, It's just me!" I look down to find King giving me a judgmental look. "Are you coming or what? Willow and Gus are about to show us the Emperor's coven panel."

I glance back to find that the masked person is gone. Vanished completely. My eyes narrow. "…Yeah… lead the way."

* * *

Snaggletooth looks even more "thrilled" as we watch the Emperor's coven panel. She keeps trying to crack jokes to random audience members around her, prompting them to scoot away.

Luz watches the performance, her eyes glued to it. Snaggletooth groans.

"Something the matter?" I ask her, careful not to be too loud.

"I already told Luz why these covens are bunk, but she's still bent on watching this garbage." She states as we look at her watching the show.

"Hey, you said it yourself. You want to teach her to be her own witch, let her be her own witch. She's just trying to make an informed decision."

"You say "informed decision", I say straight up brainwashing."

"You know her, you love her," The principal of Hexside shouts, drawing our attention. "Lilith!"

"Huh?!" Snaggletooth seems… surprised, as the same witch I met from yesterday appears on stage.

Luz also takes notice of her expression. "You know her?"

"You could say that."

The kid makes a small gasp. "Mysterious past!"

I'm not so content to leave it there. "That's the one I got my information from yesterday. While I was out on the town." I whisper to her. She glances at me for only a moment, before going bacl to staring at her, saying nothing. "So I'd really like to hear how you know her myself."

She stays quiet, glaring at the woman on stage as she makes a speech about climbing to the top. "I'll tell you back at the house." As she finishes and disappears from stage, Snaggletooth gets up and quickly walks out.

"Hey, Eda! Hold on!" Luz chases after her. Well, that was odder than usual for her. Better go and make sure the kid stays out of trouble…

"Oh, are you okay?!" My attention is grabbed by someone further up the stands, who is looking over a fallen person on the stares. "You should be careful and watch your step." Another person says to… a guy in a black cloak. Is that…?

I get all the confirmation I need when he quickly glances at me, and I see the same gas mask before. He rushes out the nearby exit. Now, that's just suspicious. "Hey, wait!" I shout as I run after him. "Let's have a talk!" I follow the exit he took… and find no sign of him when I get outside. "Damn…" The hell is up with that guy? And why does his mask seem… familiar?

I snap out of my thoughts when I realize… I went out the wrong exit. Luz and the others are gone again. "Damn it."

* * *

Eda had decided to leave after seeing the Emperor's coven. Something about that lady really set her off. I hope I can find out- I love mysterious pasts!

But, for now, King and I are going to explore the rest of the Covention. I really want to see everything this place has to offer! "So, King, where to first?"

"I say the cooking covens. We should snatch all the snacks they make while they aren't looking!"

"King, those are free." I snicker. "And besides, if they weren't, Hellboy would never let me do that."

"Eh, what he doesn't know won't hurt him."

"What are you talking about, he's right…" My eyes widen as I look behind us, noticing a lack of a certain agent. "King, where's- oof!" Distracted by what's not behind me, I don't notice whoever I just bumped into.

"Watch where you're- Oh, it's you. Willow's "abomination". Or are you a goblin this time?" Hoo boy, it's Amity.

"Hey, you're that kid from the magic fair!" King notes.

I better clear this up. "Uh, hey Amity. So, funny story… not an abomination or a goblin. Sorry for the confusion those times. I'm Luz, the human. Hi!" I extend my hand to shake.

"Put that away!" She swats my hand, and points at me. "I don't know how you survived that encounter with that monster at the fair, but you'd better stay away from me. You're the one who got me in trouble with Principal Bump, and I never get in trouble." She walks away.

She's getting on my case for that? Didn't she direct Bump to cut me open? "Well, to be fair, you were okay with him dissecting me."

"You can't be here!" She turns on a heel and cuts me off, as if she didn't have an answer for that. "This covention is for witches only."

"Well, I'm training to be a witch! I'm getting lessons from a powerful witch and a ferocious demon… two ferocious demosn, in fact! We came here today to learn about the coven system."

"Did someone call me ferocious? Good to see you're finally seeing what I truly am, Luz." King speaks as he climbs on my shoulder. Amity looks unimpressed.

"That lame little mutt is your "ferocious" demon?"

"Hey!"

"And let me guess, this witch mentor of your wouldn't happen to be the wild nutjob criminal you were shouting to at the fair, right? The one who fell to pieces from one hobo demon?" She gives a smug smile. "Yeah, real winner there." My fists clench on instinct. "Though I guess she's a good pick for you."

"Why are you being so mean, Amity?"

"Because you, your little demon and your mentor give witches-in-training a bad name. Oh, and as we discussed… the school incident?"

"I only intended to help Willow pass. Everything else was an accident!" She crosses her arms, unconvinced. "I'll tell you what, Amity. It's one thing to say I can't be a witch, but it's another to insult and bully my friends. Just like the good witch Azura when facing down her rival Hecate at the bog of immediate regret… I challenge you to a witches du-WUGH!"

"No," Hellboy says as he brings me face to face with him. "You don't." Amity stumbles backward in terror. "Kid, what are you doing? Are you forgetting what your mother wanted?"

"Well, I just.. I wanted to…"

"Where the heck were you, Flathorn?" King asks him.

"That's… on me. Got distracted by something. Not important. What is important is what you were about to do, kid." I rub the back of my head in embarrassment.

"W-wait, hold on!" Amity shouts from the ground. "Didn't he attack you and your mentor? What… what's happening here?!"

"Misunderstanding. Don't worry about it. Just think of me as her bodyguard."

"He's your bodyguard?!" She shouts, even angrier than she was before. "You destroyed my magic fair project I'd been working over a week on!"

"My bad, kid. We had a disagreement that got… a little out of hand."

She glares at me, ignoring Hellboy. "So you're to blame for that too!"

"Amity, it's not like that, it wasn't on purpose-"

"So what, cheating's not enough for you, you have to sabotage another person's work? I was going to show that to a representative from the Emperor's Coven! You… you… fake witch!'"

"Hold on a second…" Hellboy gets between us. "Amity? As in, Amity Blight? As in…" He leans over her, making her scared again. "The girl who nearly got my kid sliced open?"

"Um… well…" Suddenly, she's lost the words.

"Why don't you go on ahead and leave, before I have something to be real angry about?" She backs away, before scurrying off.

I'm just a bit concerned. "You weren't… actually gonna hurt her, were you?"

"I don't hurt kids. But she doesn't know that." He guides me into the other direction. "Besides, she ain't worth it. Don't let her bother you, kid."

"I… guess so."

"Now, maybe let's have a talk about jumping into a problem you can't get back out of?" He gives me a stern look, and I chuckle nervously. "Luz, I'm serious. You could've gotten yourself in serious trouble back there."

"But Amity was being such a jerk! She was saying I could never be a witch, and insulting King and Eda!"

"I'm with her! She was defending my honor!" King protests.

"You stay out of this." Hellboy plucks him off and sets him back on the floor. "Now Luz, how exactly were you gonna stick it to her? By using the one non-combative spell you have that you aren't even allowed to use?"

"I… um… well…" Huh. I guess I forgot I only had the one spell… and that Mom said no magic. "I guess I thought I was taking a risk, like Eda said."

"There's a difference between that and jumping in without a plan. Even if I don't agree with her methods, Snaggletooth did say she thought ahead before she did anything else. The consequences, the rewards, your limits… then she decided to take that chance. Picking a fight with a bully who's had plenty more years of training than you is just reckless."

I sigh, disappointed at the outcome of all this. "And now my Mami's going to know I jumped into something without thinking… again."

Hellboy nudges my shoulder. "Look, Luz, she's probably not going to be happy, but it ain't going to be the nail in the coffin. Let's just keep looking at all the covens, alright? Heard they have a squirrel handling coven, which is… honestly, I got to see it for myself."

"…Okay." Hellboy's right. I mean, now that Amity's avoiding us, the rest of the day should be fine. Right?

* * *

Ugh. I can't believe this. I could just scream right now! She just shows up in Bonesborough out of nowhere, and in just a few short meetings she makes my life a nightmare! I was actually having fun today! Then she comes in, acting like she can become a witch so easily? Just like that? On top of that, it turns out that she's the one who caused the fair incident! It's like she's doing everything she can to aggravate me! And just for the cherry on top, she can never watch where she's goi-"Unnh!"

I stumble backward. "Watch where you're going, niiiiiiii-ice witch lady who has every reason to stand there!" It's Lilith. I bumped into Lilith of the Emperor's Coven. And then I yelled at her. Oh, this day can't get any worse. "I'm so sorry, Miss Lilith, I-I-I didn't see that it was you, which is- I mean- It's my fault, I wasn't watching where I was going, it was an accident, honest!"

"Young Miss Blight, please recompose yourself." Lilith… Lilith said my last name.

"Y-…You know me?"

"Of course, Amity. I know all of our most promising students. Especially the most talented at Hexside." I struggle to contain the urge to squeal. Miss Lilith said I was the most talented! "Now, take a deep breath, and tell me what had you so upset you couldn't see two feet in front of you!"

"O-oh, that? It's nothing really, I just had a run in with a troublemaker, I can handle it."

"Amity, a witch must be focused at all time, especially those in the Emperor's coven. Whatever you're upset about, it's clearly bothering you. Distracting you, even."

I wring my hands together nervously. "U-uh, well… there's this human girl I've been… encountering these last two weeks."

Her eyes widen. "Human girl?"

"Yeah! She showed up out of nowhere and started messing with my life. She made a complete mess at Hexside, and got me in trouble! And it turns out, she has a bodyguard. And it's the same guy who tore up the magic fair field the other day!"

"Really?" Her interest in my plight has piqued, as she kneels down to listen further. "I'm imagining then, that you had another run in with her today?"

"Yeah! She comes in, talking about how she's going to be a witch! Like it's that easy! And when I point out that her demon is a tiny runt and that her mentor is a wanted criminal, she arrogantly challenged me to a witch's duel!"

She raises an eyebrow. "And how did this make you upset? I don't believe you are weaker than her… are you?"

"N-no! I just… her bodyguard came by, stopped her from challenging me and scared me. I would've trounced her otherwise."

Lilith gives me a smile. It… doesn't look like a comforting smile. But it must mean she's about to help me, doesn't it? "Did this human girl say if her mentor was here?"

"Yeah. She said she came with her today to learn about covens. Why?"

Lilith stands and turns her back to me. "I understand your anger completely, Amity. You wanted to show this girl how hard it was to be a witch." She peers back at me. "Don't you worry. You'll have your witch's duel."

My face lights up at the sound of that. "Really?"

"Of course. I know this human's mentor quite well. I must confide in you… she is my sister." …Whoa. The Owl Lady is Captain Lilith's sister? She must be so disappointed in her… "Though we may be enemies, I'm sure we can both pull strings to set something up. You can show the coven members and I just what you're made of."

I can't help but give a wide smile. "Yes!" I shout. "Uh, I mean, thank you, Miss Lilith."

"Of course, Miss Blight. Just wait near the entrance of the arena. We'll give the Covention a performance they won't forget."

* * *

After leaving young Miss Blight, I quickly put a call on my scroll, having all guards and coven members watch the exits. Hopefully, she hasn't made it out of the center yet.

The stars couldn't have aligned sooner. My sister, making the mistake of coming to an event filled with guards, alongside the only one besides me and Belos capable of taking her on. Never has a better opportunity come to pass. Of course, there's no way she won't try to fight her way out. I have to reel her in. I'll also have to find a way to keep the human girl safe, else Hellboy not be happy.

I get a message that she's been stopped at the cooking covens, and quickly teleport there. I find her in a rather lame disguise, a hood containing her massive hair. Did she really think she could make it past the guards in such a lame disguise? Does she really believe them to be that idiotic? …I'll… not answer myself on that one and just be glad a coven member stopped her.

"Will you guys just step out of the way before I set you on fire?"

"Not a chance, Owl Lady."

"Then I guess we're going to find out if you remember to stop, drop and roll."

Perhaps it's time for me to step in. "Now, sister, surely you aren't planning to leave so soon?" Eda turns to glare at me. "I'll take it from here. Why don't the rest of you watch for any other undesirables?" As they leave, I feel I must humor a possibility. "I don't suppose you're here to join the emperor's coven, are you?"

She snorts. "In your dreams."

I scoff. "Still so arrogant about being covenless, sister. You think you're better than us, but while you ransack garbage and run from the law, I train the next generation of witch students for the Isles."

She waves me off, "Big deal. I've got a student of my own now. Soon, she'll wipe the floor with any of yours."

"So I've heard. The human, right? She's been causing quite the ruckus all over. She sounds like nothing more than a troublemaker."

As always, my sister gets riled up when people challenge her. She can't say no to a fight. "Wouldn't you like to think so?"

"Perhaps then, you would like to prove your statement? A witch's duel between your student and mine."

"I'd take that bet." I've got her now. "…But I'm not. I 'm having a disagreement with her "guardian". But rest assured, she'll be running circles around your students soon enough." She says, slinking away.

"…What?! But you never turn down a challenge to your pride!"

"Yeah, well there's a first time for everything. See ya, sis."

She continues walking away. I need to think of something fast! How do I get her little delinquent to fight my prodigy?

…Hmm. Delinquent.

"Oh Eda, I was going to offer you a pardon just for today, but it looks like you're forcing my hand." She looks at me in curiosity. "Let me put it this way- either you accept this witch's duel or I have you arrested…" She snorts again. "As well as your human protégé." That wipes the smile off her face.

"What?!"

"Well, she did initiate a prison break and caused chaos at Hexside, I think I have a pretty good reason to do so." I giv her a sly grin. "However, if you accept the duel, then our conditions will be such- should you lose, you will come with us to be imprisoned willfully. Should you win, I will let all of you walk out of here today without even a scratch."

Eda scowls at me as I give my ultimatum. "And what's stopping me from blasting my way out?"

"From what I can tell, you're new roommate wouldn't like you putting the girl in danger." She widens her eyes in surprise. "Oh yes, I know about your new friend. I imagine he wouldn't be happy with you."

She stomps her foot in the ground. "Fine, Lilith. You want to play with fire? I'll make sure you get burned." She stomps away.

Everything's coming together. I must say… clever of Hellboy to convince her to come to this event. Once he hears the terms, he'll realize what I have planned. Lure her into the arena, have the girl forfeit to "fulfill" the conditions, then help me take down my sister together. The girl is unhurt, and I can finally cure my stubborn sister.

I can't imagine how happy he must be that I noticed his opportunity.

* * *

"Ah, crap." Nice to know Trenchcoat is taking the news well.

"Yep. And I actually tried to back off this time."

Luz is pacing around in a panic. "She's gonna kill me! She's gonna kill me all the way dead!"

Trenchcoat pinches the bridge of his nose. "Didn't think she'd pull something like this…"

Now that's an interesting statement to make. "What do you mean you didn't think she'd pull something like this?"

He sighs. "When I met your sister yesterday, I pulled this little charade to get info out of her. Told her I was planning to fight you again and capture you for the guards."

Luz's head snaps in his direction, eyes filled with worry. "You… you weren't actually planning on doing it, were you?"

He shakes his arms. "I may not like her, but you do. I couldn't do that to you, kid. In any case, I guess she thought I planned this, or something." He rubs his head. "But man, that woman being your sister... it explains a few things."

"We could fight our way out…" I suggest. "But there's a hell of a lot more guards here than usual. Belos must've amped up security after the fair got trashed."

He sees where I'm going with this. "And Luz could get hurt in the struggle. But we can't let her fight. She could get hurt then too."

He's right. There's only one way to do this without putting her in danger. "Then I guess we forfeit."

"What?!" Luz exclaims. Hellboy looks at me in surprise. "But, Eda-"

"We'll have still accepted the duel. It just means the Luz will technically have lost. You can take her to safety, and then I can fight the guards myself. I should be fine."

"No." Hellboy states immediately.

"It's not like you can jump in to help me, Flathorn. You'll render the bet null and she'll arrest Luz anyway. Besides, I imagine you'll be overjoyed to have me gone."

"No." He reiterates with force. "I may not agree with your choices, but you took care of the kid and taught her some important things. And it's not like you aggravate me enough to just leave you to the dogs. We're finding a way that gets all of us out of here."

I stare at him in shock, before giving a faint chuckle. "Heh. Want to keep Luz happy that badly, eh?"

"That's just a perk." He ruffles Luz's hair, who smiles back up at him. "There's got to be something we can take advantage of."

"Not much. Luz only has the one spell, and her opponent, well…" I look over to her as she shows off her skills, summoning a small abomination. "She won't even need to lift a finger. Her creation will do all the work."

"It looks smaller than before…" Luz notes.

"Her nerves might be messing up her focus. We can't expect it to be that small in the arena." I explain.

"Her creation…" Trenchcoat mutters. "What if Luz didn't have to lift a finger either?"

I give him a strange look. Does he mean… "I get ya. Magic mines!"

"What? No!" He pulls his "walker talker" thing out. "I mean, Luz may not know a lot of spells… but she's got a pretty good creation of her own at home." Luz looks at him in confusion.

At home? …Ahhh. Pretty clever, Hellboy. "I like the way you think, Trenchcoat."

* * *

While Eda went to her sister to "discuss" a different type of witch's duel, Hellboy called Roger on his walkie. He was here within a half hour. The plan is that we pretend I created him, and he'll fight Amity's abomination. However, to avert Lilith's suspicions… I have to be the one to give Roger orders. He can't do literally anything unless I tell him to.

You know, I 've been the center of attention before. And just like all the other times, it's a nightmare. But at least those times all that was at stake was a scolding and maybe a detention. Now? Either Roger wins while pretending to be a Homunculus I didn't actually make, or Eda gets arrested. I may not be the one getting my hands dirty, but that doesn't make me feel any better.

"Eda, I don't know about this…"

"We don't have much of a choice, Luz. They aren't gonna let us go unless we win. So, we need to do whatever it takes to win." She pats Roger on the shoulder, as if I didn't make the connection.

"I don't like it any more than you kid, but Snaggletooth's right." Hellboy says as he eyes around the stadium. "We're not exactly in a position to bargain. Well… we probably could let our fists do the talking, but that puts you in danger. So, if they're gonna offer us a way out that keeps you from getting hurt, I'm all for it."

"But… isn't this cheating? Pretending Roger is something I made?" The homunculus himself is just standing there with a smile on his face. He's being covered by a cloak, so people don't see what he really is.

"If the situation were different, I would agree that it's underhanded. But Lilith forced you into a duel she thought you couldn't win. If she wants to play like that, we will too." He places a hand on my shoulder. "Trust me, kid. It happens a lot on the job. Doesn't mean you have to like it, though."

"Yeah, but… what about Amity? This isn't really going to be fair to her." Sure, she's a jerk. But it doesn't feel right to win like this against her.

Eda snorted in amusement. "Oh, come on, Luz. The kid loses one lousy match, so what? Unlike certain people here, it's not the end of the world for her."

"I mean, I guess… but we're just transferring the danger to Roger! Is he really okay with this?"

Roger gave an "ok" sign. "I'll be fine, Luz. I've already been in plenty of scraps before, so this one shouldn't be too bad." I rub the back of my head. I just can't shake this bad feeling in my gut.

"Hey, it was either this, or I could've planted magic mines everywhere, but Trenchcoat made a stink about that." Eda noted with a tinge of annoyance.

Hellboy groaned. "Yeah, take her out of danger and put her in more danger. Real smart backup plan."

"Well, I thought it was a pretty good idea." The conversation is put on hold as Lilith and Amity enter the arena. The people begin cheering as they take the stage, both looking very high and mighty.

"Beloved citizens! The Emperor's Coven proudly presents an impromptu demonstration of the sort of witch we seek every year! Introducing, Amity Blight!" The crowd cheer even harder as Amity steps forward, a big smug grin on her face. Lilith then gestures toward me. "Versus… some human girl." I can hear the people in the stands murmuring to themselves and each other, either deriding me or reinforcing their praise for Amity. "However," Lilith began again, the crowd silencing itself. "this match will not be your standard witch's duel. Today, we pit Miss Blight's skills as an abomination wielder to the test against that of an alchemist!" She gives a quick confused glance to Hellboy- probably because she still believes his charade. More murmurs from the crowd, questioning what she meant. "This random human girl will bring to the table… a Homunculus." She gestures to us again.

It takes me a second to realize she's signaling me to bring forth "my creation". "Oh! Uh, r-right." I clear my throat. "Um… Homunculus. R-rise? No, uh… stand by for battle… yeah!"

Despite the awkward command, Roger steps forward, then throws off his cloak. The crowd suddenly gasp in astonishment. Amity actually loses composure a little, staring at Roger with worry. "Th… that's her Homunculus?" Was it really that impressive? Then again, Eda did say he was bigger than the average Homunculus…

Lilith places a firm hand on her apprentice's shoulder, but it looks firmer and stricter. Amity takes a deep breath before drawing a spell circle. "Abomination, rise!" The purple circle flashes on the floor, and from it comes forth her creature… and it's looking particularly larger than before… like, over twice the size Roger.

"Waagh!" I can't help but yell in surprise. The thing towers over Roger, who looks at it with a rather undeterred expression. Man, guess he wasn't kidding about being in worse situations.

Amity looks at it in surprise, before smiling a rather sinister smile. "Oh ho ho, yeah… let's see if your homunculus can take this, human." Lilith barely reacts, as if she expected this.

"That's… a lot bigger than what she was pulling off outside…" Hellboy says, rather incredulously, He almost sounds suspicious.

"Yeah…" Eda says in the same tone. "Guess that's Lilith's prodigy for ya." She doesn't sound convinced on that.

I don't really have time to dwell on what their problem is with it, considering now her Abomination can eat Roger in a single bite. "Oh gosh… now I'm really not sure I can let him do this!" I whisper yell, my knees shaking.

Hellboy kneels down next to me. "Easy, kid. Easy. Roger can handle that thing no problem. You just need to guide him."

"But that thing is huge! And what do I even tell him? "Punch It"? "Punch it harder"?"

He shakes his head. "Listen, Luz. I've been in plenty of fights where brute force alone didn't win. Lots of guys hit harder than I can. At those points, you gotta pay attention to what you can do… and what your opponent can do. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What are yours? What's around you? What's the terrain? The more you find out, the better chance you have of winning."

"But even if find that out … what if I can't use it to my advantage? If I lose, Eda's going to be taken away, and…"

Eda kneels down on my other side, her smile as confident as ever. "Listen, Luz, just remember what I said this morning. Sometimes, you've just got to jump in and take those risks."

"…O-okay. Here goes nothing I guess." I step forward with Roger, as Amity does the same with her abomination. I wave nervously at her. She cracks her knuckles to… to… actually, I don't know why she's doing that, her abomination is doing everything… Oh wait, I get it! Intimidation! …Yeah, it's working.

The bell rings (or rather, screams), signaling the start of the match. "Abomination, attack the homunculus!" Amity shouts, and it begins lumbering over. "Show me what you got, human!"

As the abomination closes in, I realize Roger hasn't moved… because I haven't given him an order. "Uh, Homuculus! Attack as well!" Yeah. That works.

Roger charges towards the abomination and delivers a swift powerful punch to its gut. He pierces its stomach… which ends up doing nothing, his fist sinking into the mass of goo. The monster barely takes notice, preparing to slam down on Roger with his arms.

"Gah! Get out of there!" I shout, prompting Roger to tear his hand free. He jumps back just as the monster brings its arms down, dust flying from the impact. Roger pauses, waiting for another order. But what do I tell him? He can't even punch the thing. I clasp my head in fear. "Run!"

Roger quickly moves away from the creature, forcing it to stumble after him. However, as he runs, I notice the thing grasping the sides of its face. With effort, it unscrewed its own head and threw it at Roger. I barely had time to shout something to him.

"DODGE!" As Roger looked at me in surprise before being hit by the mass of slime, it occurred to me that saying 'dodge' distracted him more than anything.

It didn't seem to hurt him. He simply got up and started shaking off the mess. "Tastes like… grape jelly and mustard." He muttered at a volume only I could hear.

A booming step redirects my attention back at the abomination, reeling from its throw. Well… at least it didn't have its head now.

As if I jinxed it, the thing's head began to grow back, making a mindless groan in the process. "Brulurgghhhh…" Soon, its three eyes are staring at Roger again, and it begins to lumber over once more. I get caught again in my own thoughts, wondering how I can beat this thing. It can't be punched, it probably doesn't feel pain anyway and worst of all, it can regenerate!

All that time in my thoughts gives it a chance to close the distance, cornering my homunculus friend on one side of the stadium. As the abomination raises one of its arms to attack, I figure all I can really do is keep having Roger run. "Watch out for its arms!"

Roger prepares himself, keeping his eyes on its arm. Once the monster brings it down, Roger easily sidesteps it. It winds up its other arm, attempting to swipe at him from the side. But again, Roger quickly backsteps from it, barely needing to move. It catches nothing but air.

"Geez, that thing is slow…" I realize what I just said right after it comes out of my mouth. It's bigger than Roger… but it's also slower. "Rog- Homunculus, dive between its legs!"

Roger shoots underneath the abomination. Unable to comprehend quickly enough, it catches nothing but air again. The abomination bends in an unnatural way to look between its legs, leaving itself wide open. "That's it! Take out its head!"

Roger punches at it again. However, instead of punching through it, he delivers rapid swipes in a way that creates a big gash in the side of its head. Before the creature can grow it back, Roger delivers a strong punch that blows its head away, splattering it against the wall.

Its head starts regrowing back as it untwists its body. I knew that was coming… better back off for now. "Get some space between you and it!" Roger runs off again. Ok, so it's slow, and… rather stupid, if that last blunder was any indication. But it can still regenerate, and it can't be fought directly. It has to be weathered down.

Amity chuckles. "You're wasting your time, human. I'm the best abomination user in school. And you're about to see why. Abomination, grab the homunculus and don't let go!"

I ignore her jeers and focus on her creature. It stumbles a bit, before trudging towards Roger again, its arms outstretched. Huh… seems to be rather clumsy. Then again, it's pretty much a pile of living wet clay. Stable enough to stand, sure, but it still doesn't have bones. That's why it's having such a hard time grabbing Roger… "Homunculus, dig up a stone from the arena and throw it at the abomination's leg. But don't get grabbed!"

Roger punched the ground, causing a sufficient crack, breaking out a decent sized rock… just as the monster is on top of him. He dives away as it reaches for him, throwing the rock once he emerges from the roll. He hits the leg with enough strength to take it out. Without the stability, the creature falls over, splatting into a big pile of grime.

"Yes!" I shout in joy.

"Don't get ahead of yourself!" Amity yells from across the way. She still has a confident stance, but she seems to be getting irritated. "I already told you you're just inconveniencing me. This duel's far from over." She snaps her fingers, causing the abomination to reassemble. "I'll show you just how outclassed you are."

"We'll see about that." I look to Roger, determined. He gives a subtle nod to me before looking back at Amity's monster. War of attrition, here we go…

* * *

As Luz commanded Roger against Lilith's prodigy, Trenchcoat and I were having a conversation of our own. "Yeah. There's definitely some funny business going on here."

"I mean, that was obvious the moment that thing came out a giant. Wouldn't mind hearing the other telltale signs, though." Trenchcoat so graciously requests of me.

"Well, the large size could be possible for a witch in training, but she definitely wouldn't be able to keep regenerating it like that." I bump my chest with my fist, something he notices. "Abominations and their "life forces" are connected to a user's bile gland. It can only grow and stay stable as long as there's magic in the tank. You get me?" Flathorn nods in response, taking in the explanation.

King interrupts me and takes over. "Oh, I know this one! Like any non-magical organ, a bile gland starts out weak, getting stronger with age. At her age, she could probably summon a big abomination like that, but she wouldn't be able to keep it going for long. Especially not after the big hits it's been taking. Honestly, your buddy could probably take it down easily on his own…"

"So, someone's giving her more power?" Trenchcoat questions.

I clamp King's mouth shut. "More power… but not more control. Minus the size, that one's pretty good for a kid her age, pretty stable. But it's also typical for a rookie." I subtly gesture at the abomination as it moves. Lilith seems to be entirely focused on the Homunculus. "Slow, inept, and unable to morph its way out of a paper bag. Professional abomination users would certainly have a stronger creation that moves faster and nimbler than that. It would also be far more amorphous. And while they don't get too much smarter, they can think quicker… that one probably can't follow complicated commands."

King finally pries his mouth from my hand. "Ugh. Have you been eating Hex Mix again?"

"I get it. Her magic's been given a huge boost, but that can't compensate for her skill." He's already lit a cigarette for himself. "So… I'll take it even a newbie like me could guess it's one of those power glyphs."

"You'd be right, newbie." King replied.

"Hmph." Trenchcoat grunts, not biting back at him. Guess he thought now wasn't a good time. "So, the girl snatches a glyph because she thinks she can't win?" He seems to be wanting to confirm.

I review the answer quickly in my head. "Eh… no. She seemed pretty surprised at her own potential. And I can't imagine the Construction users wanted to keep the glyphs out after that "incident"."

"So, the only one who could get to them at that point, would be the same one who didn't react when her protégé pulled out a massive mud monster." He looks at me directly. "Thought you said she would play by the rules."

"I thought she would. And you thought she wouldn't put Luz in danger. Clearly, my sister's grown a bit more underhanded in recent years."

The both of us watch as Roger continues to fight, being led by Luz's increasingly smarter plays. The Blight girl has stepped up her game, as her abomination manages to grab or hit him every now and then. But he's not down for long before he deals the blows right back.

Trenchcoat hums in thought. "So, should we call 'em out about now? The Kid's starting to do pretty good."

King agreed, watching the fight with great intensity. "Yeah, I want to see her humiliate the green haired girl. She called me lame!"

"Oh, you can take it one little insult. But yeah, she's learning to adapt rather well, and she's even getting pretty confident in her decisions. Let's wait just a tad longer. Still, we'll have to out them in a way that Lilith can't turn around back on us." I give a quick nudge to Owlbert, who unscrews himself from my staff. He hops into the stands while Lilith isn't looking, slowly darting into position behind them. "I don't see the glyph on any of her visible parts… so there's only one open space of skin it could be on. I'll have Owlbert move to a vantage point and look through his eyes. Once we're ready, I'll bust them."

Man, Lilith was such an amateur.

* * *

"Yeah, go Luz!"

"You can beat her!"

"Take her down, Luz!"

I smile as I hear King, Willow and Gus' voices cheering me on. I might not be as popular as Amity, but I've got all the support I need.

"Yeah, go human!" I jolt in surprise as I hear an unfamiliar voice. One of the kids from the school is also cheering me on, and a few others join in.

"She's more awesome than I thought!"

"Never thought I'd see a human beat Amity!"

I didn't expect the praise from the other audience members. It actually feels… really good.

"Ugh!" I turn back around, met with a fuming Amity. "I am NOT being embarrassed by you again! Get ready, human! I'm ending this now!" She points her finger at her abomination, which I unfortunately let get close to Roger, and it slams its fist into him. He skids across the ground, not too damaged by the punch. Things have been going alright so far, but that thing doesn't seem to letting up anytime soon. But neither is Roger.

It's strange. I thought that thing might be able to knock out Roger in a few hits, but he's barely fazed. It must not be as strong as it appears. Or maybe Roger's tougher than he looks.

The subtler thing I notice is what's happening to Amity's abomination. It almost looks… smaller? Yeah, it is! Before, it was taller than the arena walls. Now it was a few inches lower than them. Every time Roger smashes it, it gets smaller! And the smaller it gets, the more manageable it becomes. We just need to keep going! "Homunculus! Grab the rock from earlier and move to the center of the arena!" He darts to grab it, careful not to be caught by the monster.

"What are you up to?" Amity pried at me. I kept my mouth shut, not wanting her to catch on.

As her abomination followed, Roger got ready with the rock. "Now, behead him my creation!" I only somewhat notice I'm starting to get dramatic. Roger launches the rock into the abomination's face, scattering it into tiny bits. "Yes! Now sweep him off his feet!"

Roger smiled for a split second before getting back into character, running like a freight train into the abomination's leg. Taking out its balance again, it falls into a heap. Amity was clenching her fists, becoming increasingly angry. "Would you cut it out?! This isn't a joke!"

"Oh, I am very serious Amity Blight! My homunculus shan't fall here to your mud monster! Bring on your best! My creation can keep going till yours is but mush!" More of the crowd cheered at the showmanship.

"Yeah, but I can't." Eda stated, stepping into the battle zone, King jumping off her shoulder.

"Ah, man, I was starting to enjoy that!" He protests.

"Yeah, well I can't take that flowery crap. So, I think I'll bring things to an end." She's… ending things? "It's funny you think you can slip rookie tricks past me. I am the master, after all."

"W-what are you insinuating, Eda?" Lilith suddenly got nervous.

Eda snorted. "Oh please, sis. The evidence was practically breathing down my neck. Or rather… hers." She points to Amity, who looks at her in confusion. "Why don't you lift the back of your hair and show the crowd?"

"My hair?" Amity does so, seemingly more out of reflex.

Almost immediately, someone from the audience shouts out angrily. "Hey, that's one of our power glyphs!"

"What?!" Amity shouts in surprise. She peels off one of the glyphs I saw from earlier, looking at it in shock. Her abomination shrank almost immediately. Now Roger towered over it. "W-w-wait- I didn't- this isn't-"

"She's a dirty cheater!"

"She was scared of the human!"

"How could Amity delve to such a thing?!"

"No! I didn't know! I… I didn't…" She begins to shrink herself, taking poorly to the jeers.

"Yep, that's right." Eda shouts over the crowd. "My goody two shoes sister rigged the witch's duel. I mean, come on! Even if this girl is a prodigy, she's still a rookie! There's no way she could summon such an efficient abomination! But man, can you believe it? The emperor's right hand so unsure she'd win, she cheated. Amazing, isn't it?"

Lilith huffs out loudly. "I only did it because I knew you would cheat!"

"Oh really? You got proof?" King challenged her, only to slightly cower when she leered at him.

I can imagine she only wants to embarrass her sister… but it's having a worse effect on Amity. Her thoughts are coming out of her mouth, unheard by the crowd… but I can hear her. "No, no, no, I didn't want to win like this… not in front of my dream coven…" She sounds so scared. So… distraught. She… she didn't mean to cheat. But… I did. "If she doesn't trust in me… how can I…" Tears start forming in her eyes.

…I'm sorry, Hellboy, Eda. I can't do this.

"STOP!"

The stadium goes silent, all focused on me. I take a deep breath… and admit the truth. "This isn't my homunculus." The entire audience gasps, even more astonished than before. "He's a free homunculus who wanted to help me. His name is Roger." The crowd begin to murmur louder. "Lilith probably used that glyph because she knew we were already planning something ourselves."

"I knew it! You did cheat!" Lilith began to speak in a mocking tone. "I mean, come on! A human girl who knows how to create a stable homunculus that's larger than the average? I knew she couldn't have made it!"

Eda's face is still smug. "Eh. You still cheated."

"Are you kidding me?!" She shouts in pure ire. "I caught you cheating! That means you lose by default! You'll have to come with me!"

"Prissy, perfect Lilith cheated!" Eda kept going, making her sister angrier.

"Ugh! You are such a child!"

"Uh oh." King tugs at my arm. "I think we should make a break for it, Luz. When those two get going, things get messy."

I ignore the sister's spat for now to look back at Amity, knowing full well she'll rub it in my face. To my shock, she just looks at me in full disgust, before running off. I thought for sure she'd…

"Hey, kid." Hellboy comes up from behind me, Roger joining us. "I respect your integrity. But it looks like we're going to have to think of an escape route."

I look back at the door Amity ran through. "Right. Uh… Hey, Hellboy? I'm sorry."

"Hey, like I said, Luz. Don't worry about it."

"Not for that."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "Then what are you…?"

"There's still one more risk I need to take."

* * *

Luz suddenly rushes off, before any of us can react. "Whoa, kid, wai-OOF!" Hellboy yells for her, running after her… only to trip over poor King.

"Ow! Watch it, Flathead!"

"Now's not the time dog bone! Come on, we've got to get her before she goes too far!" He picks the small demon up and runs off. "Roger, keep an eye on the witch! We're leaving soon!"

"Can do." I wave as he runs off. Still, it just seems like they're having a spat. What trouble could that cause?

"OHH, THAT'S IT!"

A sudden shockwave washes over me, as the air suddenly gets warmer.

"There she is."

I turn to see the sisters shooting blasts of fire at each other, effectively making me eat my words.

"Witch's Duel!" Someone shouts from the audience.

Well… I guess each family is different.

* * *

I sit there in the darkness, letting my tears run freely. I've already been humiliated enough today, so I'd rather anyone not see this. Not that hiding really matters at this point, I guess. There doesn't seem to be many people left. The Covention hall is rather empty, everyone either watching whatever's causing the explosions in the arena or leaving after scouting out their preferred covens.

"Amity!" …Can she not even leave me alone even now? "I'm sorry."

"Seriously? After everything that's happened, you expect me to forgive you? Just leave me alone!" But she remains there, not even taking a step from that spot.

"I never meant to embarrass you."

"That's all you ever do! First at school, then the fair, and now this!" I get up and look her in the eyes. "Even if you were telling the truth about the other two events, you still humiliated me. And today, you made me look like a fool in front of the Emperor's Coven. My future!" I stress as I gesture to her, hoping it gets through her head just how much this meant to me. "You think it's so easy to be a witch! Treating it like a game and acting like it's just some hobby you can pick up. I've been working my whole life to get to the top! Joining the Emperor's Coven is all I ha-" I correct myself quickly. "It's all I ever wanted." I furiously point at her. "If you're actually sorry, then I want to hear you admit it. You cheated. You lost! Say you're not a witch. Say it!"

"I'm not a witch." She says without hesitation. But what she does next catches me off guard. She proceeds to kneel down, taking out a notepad. As I kneel down to see what she's trying to show me, I watch as she draws a symbol on it, before tapping it. The paper crinkles and becomes a small light… and she stares at it, a look of pride and accomplishment… and then shows it to me. Her face reads as if she's wanted nothing more than to show me what she's achieved. "But I'm training hard to be one."

It's… a look I know all too well.

* * *

I keep my distance as Eda and her sister fight. Though I'd like to help, I feel I might just get in the way. Besides, it's a good chance to see what full-fledged witches can do.

Lilith attempts to launch her fire blasts, only for them to be blocked by stone owls that Eda summons from the ground which proceeds to attack Lilith.

"If you would just turn yourself in, I could help you!" Lilith shouts from one side. "All you had to do was forfeit the match!" She dodges several smaller owls, before throwing her enflamed staff at Eda.

Eda blocks it easily with a shield. "I keep telling you Lilith, I don't want anything that antler head has to offer. Not even his help!" Just as it seems Lilith will break through, the owl on Eda's staff flies off and attacks her, distracting her long enough for Eda to summon one last owl. It swallows her whole. "You can work for him all you want, but I'm staying free and wild, thank you."

Before Eda and I can react, both of us notice a hole burned through the stone. I'm too late to intercept her as Lilith teleports behind Eda, hitting her with a hard blast. "We'll see about that, sister."

This isn't good. I could attack her, but I don't know if she'll sick the guards and coven members on us if I do. I need to distract her somehow.

"This is for your own good, Eda. The curse is catching up with you."

Eda sighs in resignation. "I guess it is. But I'm still not accepting Belos as my leader."

Lilith looks at her in concern. "Eda, there's no telling how much time might be left. This could be the last time we see each other. I just want to help you."

"You know…" I speak up, catching her attention. "You really don't listen to your sister."

"This doesn't concern you, homunculus. I suggest you leave while you can."

"You think your way is best, that Eda only needs to do what you say to be happy. You don't even bother to see her side of things."

She scoffs at me. "Are you lecturing me? You know nothing about our lives!"

"I've seen enough to know you're a bad sister."

"How dare you!" She slams her staff down, another shockwave filling the arena. "You're just a pile of living human fat! What would you know about family?!"

"More than you might think. But that's a story you don't have time for." I pause, and smile at her. "You have a flight to catch."

"What are you babbli-eeeeEEEEEEEEN!" Lilith screams as one more owl head shots out rapidly from beneath her, launching her into the stands.

"Nice going there, big guy." Eda says as she runs past me.

I catch up to her quickly. "I tried to make a funny comment like Hellboy does. Do you think I pulled it off?"

"Eh, it was alright. If you want real funny, you should learn from a comedy master like me."

* * *

I stare at the ball of light, mesmerized by it. It takes me moment to remember it's a rather low level spell. "T-that's nothing… a child could do a light spell." I turn away, and she puts the light out, slightly dejected. "But… I've never seen it cast like that before."

She brightens slightly at that. "It doesn't come naturally to me, like it does for you. So, I've had to improvise."

I guess that makes sense. But there's still one thing I don't get. "Then… why cheat today?"

"Lilith forced us into that. Either she arrests Eda and I, or I fight in a witches duel. One she knew I wouldn't win, so she could have Eda arrested anyway." She puts her notepad back in her pocket. "My mom wants me as far from danger as possible, so Hellboy and Eda had Roger fight for me instead. We just wanted to get out of this place without causing trouble."

"But then why out yourself?"

"…Because I couldn't stand to see you nearly break down like that." She admits, stunning me silent. "You were right. You worked hard to impress Lilith and the Emperor's Coven. I didn't want you thinking it was for nothing."

I look at her, scrutinizing her for any sign of a bluff. But she seems to be telling the truth.

I can't process all this at the moment. With everything that's happened today… I need some time to think this over. I get up to leave. "Weird glyphs aside, I don't know if you can learn magic. But I guess that won't stop you from trying." She doesn't speak or try to follow me again. I guess she's content with that.

As I leave the covention… I can't seem to stop thinking about her and that little light. Luz Noceda… such a weird girl.

* * *

I watch as the Blight kid walks off, and soon after the dog bone darts up to Luz, commenting about her leaving him. We had actually found them pretty quickly. This time though, I felt like the kid had the situation covered, so I didn't step in. I smile to myself. Good to know something came out of this day gone badly. Kid probably did the hardest thing anyone could ever do- make peace with an enemy. Even I have trouble doing that. My temper often gets the better of me.

I don't quite notice green hair walking past me until she's right next to me. Better follow up on this real quick… "Hey. Kid." She tenses for a moment before turning to face me. "Take it easy. Just wanna know… this mean you'll leave her alone?"

She pauses. I think she's just a bit scared of me, is all. "I… won't antagonize her, if that's what you mean. As long as she doesn't bother me."

"…Fair enough." I only say. She continues to walk out the center, relaxing a bit.

However, even though I'm done with her, something else catches my eye as she goes out the door. That damn mask. The gas masked figure from before is peering out from a gap in the stalls. He's gazing down our way, giving off creepy vibes. It's kinda pissing me off. There's that saying that once is happenstance, and two is coincidence, but three times is enemy action. I think it's time I found out what this guy's problem is.

"Hey, Hellboy!" I look away as Luz comes up to me with King on her shoulder. "I'm ready to go when you are!" My eyes dart back. But he's gone. No trace of him anywhere. And I don't have the time to go hunting him down. "Uh… something wrong?"

"…No." I narrow my eyes at the empty space. "It's nothing."

"H'okay, Flathead. If you're done being all eerie, can we go fetch Eda and your big gray friend?"

"Ain't no need for that." The witch appears behind the three of us, Roger in tow. "We gave Lilly the slip. Now, we should probably get out here before she can organize the guards."

"You guys go on ahead." I tear a nearby metal support pole from its place, causing the stand to fall down. "I need to have one last little talk with your sister."

Snaggletooth gives a small shrug. "Knock yourself out. Come on, Luz."

"Wait, Eda, I wanted to ask you something…" Luz begins. I walk out of earshot at that point, but she says something about being a "true witch". Admittedly, Snaggletooth has more knowledge in that, so I'll leave it to her and find out what she tells Luz later.

With some backtracking, it doesn't take me long to find the gothic captain, standing at the entrance to the arena. She's yelling at one of the other coven members to mobilize. I think I'll get her attention.

As the pole embeds itself into the wall right in front of her face, she stands there a bit stunned for a moment. Slowly, she turns to scowl at me.

"Damn. Guess my aim isn't just bad with guns." I say nonchalantly as I pull my gun out, staring her down right back. "I was aiming for your head. Thought it might come off like your sister's."

"Really? You're mad at me? I should be the one throwing fireballs at you! I had her and all you needed to do was forfeit and help me detain her!"

"Maybe. But you're first mistake was assuming I was bringing her here to get captured."

"Is that not why you came to an event crawling with guards while the human was in arm's reach of you?"

"She and I both came here because the kid wanted to come. Not my fault you saw signals that weren't there." I point accusingly at her. "Not to mention, you had no idea if she wasn't going to fight her way out. The kid could've gotten hurt in that kind of blowout."

"So then both you and I could've detained her. "

"Except that still puts the girl in danger." I raise my clenched stone fist. "When I said I wanted her unharmed, I felt you had the brain power to know that meant "out of harm's way". On top of that, you pull underhanded crap like forcing us into a no-win duel and cheat using that power glyph. Nice going there, by the way. Real confidence booster for your student."

"I had a perfectly good reason, and her impressions on our coven have not changed, if that's what she is afraid of." Feels like she's missing the point. She slowly summons her staff. "Am I to assume you see me as an enemy, then?"

I point my Good Samaritan at her, and she readies her staff. I get a bit of déjà vu in the staredown…

I put my gun back in cloak. "Nah. That'll just cause trouble for me. But you're on your own trying to catch your sister. I won't get in your way. Seems like she can handle herself. But if you put Luz in danger again… we're gonna have problems." Even if I wasn't actually going to do it, I feel it's time to break off that "deal".

She lowers her staff. She doesn't look too happy to hear that, but she's not angry. "…Very well. But know, the moment you do truly side with her, you will all be on the chopping block."

"Miss Lilith." Another coven member walks up to her. "A call from Kikimora."

She curses under her breath. "Take your leave, Hellboy. I have important matters to attend to."

Sounds like she's in a bit of a bind. Can't imagine this incident going down well with her boss. Unfortunately, my situation isn't much better. Camilia's probably not going to like how today went.

* * *

"You told me she would be safe."

"I know."

"You told me the local guard would not target my daughter.

"I know. I'm sorry."

Luz's mom sighs as she chews out Trenchcoat, rubbing her face. "I forgive you, Hellboy. But being coerced into a competition she should not have been in, and a bully on top of all that? From what you've told me, this second day almost ended in disaster." She stirs her tea out of habit.

I scoff. Lilith isn't the only amateur I've seen today, it seems. "Ah, you're not gonna let one little run in with the law scare you away, are ya?"

"Says the most wanted criminal on the Isles." She quickly snips.

"You know it." I say with full smarm, giving her a wink.

She rolls her eyes and continues conversing with Hellboy and Kate. "I'm glad that it was not all bad. She seems to have taken care of her bully problem… for now, at least. And it's good to know her sense of honesty is in one piece, despite the circumstances."

Really? The circumstances? "Look, I get you don't like me, but it was necessary to cheat the way we did to keep her from fighting directly."

She rolls her eyes. "I understand that objectively, it needed to be done. I'm not so huffy that I can't see the practicality of it in this case. I'm simply happy that Luz remembers her morals. Can a mother not be proud of her daughter for the simple things?"

"I just feel like you're not giving the other positives enough credit. The kid gets pushed into a situation she couldn't plan for, took some leaps, and landed on her feet for the most part. She even came out with some life lessons. The whole honesty junk, adapting to situations as they happen, becoming your own witch, and learning to bury the hatchet in the ground instead of someone's face!" Though that certainly would've been interesting, I think for a moment.

She stirs her drink faster, a slight bit of irritation in her voice. "My problem is more with the fact that your notoriety is what got her into trouble in the first place. If even Hellboy and his fellow agents can't guarantee her safety because of your record, how can I feel confident in her staying here?"

"Look, you're upset that we got in trouble because of me, I get it. But we took every chance to keep her as far from danger as possible. We accepted the duel straight away because that meant she would be okay. Not to mention, Flathorn here reiterated his point with my sister. The guard won't lay a finger on her from this point!" She doesn't seem very convinced. I don't like the idea of what I'm going to suggest, but if it'll calm her down… "Okay… if I talk with my sister myself, will that be enough? She might not want to do me any favors anytime soon, but I have more than my share of good arguments to use against her."

She stops stirring and looks at me intently. The ticking of my clock nearby is loud and clear as she reads my face. "Fine. One more chance. But if I find out she has a bounty on her, that's the end of it. Am I clear to everyone?" She looks back at Trenchcoat.

He gives a quick nod of confirmation. "Other than that, on the learning side of things today," He took out a notepad and slides it to Camila. "This magic is capable of a lot, from baking to summoning mud monsters. But that just means we can pick and choose what she learns. She's not going to be blowing herself up any time soon."

"Si. That's good." She finally takes a sip of her tea. Thought she was gonna stir it till it became a whirlpool. "So that just leaves… the test."

Kate's quick to jump on that. "We're going to take readings of her while she performs a spell. We've got standard purifying materials if it shows any negative effect."

"Then we just have to have Luz use her light spell?"

Kate's face scrunches a bit. "I could take readings of that, but that one seems like it could be a puff of smoke. I'd need something more… constant. I want to get the best readings as possible."

The three of them sit there in silence, lost in thought. Ignoring the one person who could give them some good options. "Well, this is a little insulting. I'm right here, you know."

"You got a suggestion, Snaggletooth?"

"Nothing that won't get under the nurse's feathers, but I can find something that'll work for ya." Luz's mom give me an unamused glare. "Alright, fine. Miss Noceda." She gives a curt nod and goes back to her tea.

Okay, maybe she intimidates me just a little.

* * *

"Standartenführer Sauer. I've returned from my scavenging." I state, words muffled by this verflucht mask. I stand the straightest I possibly can, for I am standing before the one who is most dedicated to our cause. The darkness of his mask's visors loom over me like I was a miserable insect.

"I am certainly aware of that, Sturmmann Müller. And yet, I've also noticed you have absolutely no take to speak of." He speaks with a dangerously low voice. Had this been any other day, I would've been fully deserving of his anger.

"I have my reasons, Captain. I bring you good news… as well as bad news." I preface myself. "I was just about to contain the Blight girl for study, when I noticed something in the Covention hall. A young girl. A human girl. Central American, from the looks."

He comes dangerously close to my face, his interest piqued. "Another… human?"

"Yes, sir. That's not all, Captain… she could use magic."

"She can?! Phenomenal…" He places a hand on my shoulder. "Are you sure of this, Müller?"

"Indeed. I saw with my own eyes. It was only a simple light spell, but it was magic nonetheless."

The pressure in the atmosphere recedes and I can breathe easier. Sauer walks over to his latest experiment. "This could perhaps be our only chance… no more failures. And yet…" He begins inquisitively. "There must be a reason you did not grab her on the spot."

"That is the bad news, I'm afraid." I begin, knowing full well what will happen once I tell him. "You see, not only is the girl the ward of that annoying wild witch…" I take a deep breath in. "…but she is also being guarded by the ape."

"The ape?" He says in slight confusion, as if he did not immediately know. I cannot blame him. After going so long without seeing or hearing about him, I would have too, had I not seen him with my own eyes.

"The ape from that wretched bureau, sir. He's here. And he is watching over the girl."

Slowly, Sauer's hands clench, and he begins to shake. The pressure returns to the atmosphere, weighing down on me, making it hard to breath. Before it crushes me, the captain erupts in furious anger. "RRAAAAAAAAAAGGHHHHHH!" He slams his arms down on his research table, crushing his latest experiment. A splatter of blood hits my mask. I wish I could wipe it off, but I dare not move. Sauer continues to pound his fists into the table, the pathetic creature wailing in pain from the assault. His lab equipment is smashed to pieces. Finally, he relents, breathing heavily over the mess of blood and glass. He turns back to me as he finally calms down. "Eherm… my apologizes, Sturmmann. That was rather… infuriating news."

"I understand, sir." I peer at the now dead creature, smashed into mush. "I am sorry. I did not mean to cause you to ruin your operation."

He looks at one of bloodied gloves and scoffs. "Mourn for my lab equipment. It was far more valuable in the end. That whelp offered nothing but the same dead ends we've hit before." He waved off the damage, before questioning me again. "Did the blasted ape see you?"

"Yes, but he did not seem to be aware of my affiliation. I had my swastika concealed."

"Did he follow you at any point?" He seemed tense asking that.

"No. He was distracted by other things before he could get a chance to. And I made sure to check multiple times."

"Thank god…" He heaved a sigh of relief, then recomposed himself. "The last thing we need is that creature knocking at our door."

"Shall I mobilize our squad so we may procure the child?"

"No. Not yet. That blasted hag was one thing, but with the ape here, going in guns blazing will only result in failures. We must approach this intelligently." He flicks some of the blood off his hands. "We must prepare. That girl could hold the key, and we cannot miss such an opportunity." He picks up his experiment by the legs. "No longer will I waste my time on these imp children. Now, get some rest, Müller. I must clean up."

"Yes, sir." I salute him, which he returns. I am all too willing to further our cause. And I am sure that Sauer is all too eager to dissect the girl and see what she hides.

"Mark my words, Müller. I will not allow him to foil us as he did before. He will know just what mistake he made… when we show him what he gave us."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep. Nazis.
> 
> You know, the one thing Hellboy loves about travelling is that there's always a nazi just waiting to be killed by him. That's not a canon statement, but I get the feeling it's true.
> 
> Joking aside… things are about to start getting darker, folks. Hellboy's world is slowly, but surely, seeping it's way into the story of Owl House. I won't get edgelord on ya, but be prepared.
> 
> Keep Those reviews coming! I'd love to hear how you feel about the latest chapter!


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